Last updated: May 22, 2024
Place
Signs of Life, Self-Guided Tour Stop 2
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
32.25433249412995, -111.19751048121846
Significance:
Tour stop
Designation:
NPS
Stop 2: Moth Trap
Sometimes there are signs of life we hope to never see. In a shrub toward the building wall, you may see a strange paper structure. This is a moth trap baited with attractant chemicals (pheromones) meant to lure in the non-native Argentine cactus moth. This is a moth native to South America, as its name implies. Its larvae bores into the interior of cacti, and in many cases destroys the plant. They have no natural controls outside of their home range. They were used in Australia to help eliminate the (also introduced) prickly pear cactus that had overwhelmed regions of the country. If the moth were to reach the southwestern United States, it would be disastrous to our desert habitat.
Sometimes there are signs of life we hope to never see. In a shrub toward the building wall, you may see a strange paper structure. This is a moth trap baited with attractant chemicals (pheromones) meant to lure in the non-native Argentine cactus moth. This is a moth native to South America, as its name implies. Its larvae bores into the interior of cacti, and in many cases destroys the plant. They have no natural controls outside of their home range. They were used in Australia to help eliminate the (also introduced) prickly pear cactus that had overwhelmed regions of the country. If the moth were to reach the southwestern United States, it would be disastrous to our desert habitat.