What is the miller moth?
In olden times the farmers took their grain to the miller who ground the hard kernels into powdery flour. This was a dusty job and the grain grinder was often a very dusty miller. The miller moth was named for the dusty, white powder on its wings. The miller is a noctuid member of the noctuidae moth family. These insects are plentiful, and chances are the suicidal moth around the patio lantern is a miller. Their scientific family name is coined from the latin word for night owl because the noctuids have remarkable eyes that glow like golden owl eyes in the dark. A more common name for them is the ow1et moths, and at least 2,500 species make their homes in North America. Owlet moths of the tropics are big and beautiful. Some have colorful, velvety wings a foot wide. Most of our owlets wear sober shades of mottled browns and grays, and their wingspan is no wider than two inches. When captured, they shed a cloud of dusty powder that reminds people of the dusty miller of olden days. The wi
