How do peppered moths spend the winter

Peppered moths spend the winter in a pupal stage, encased in cocoons. In this stage, their metabolism slows to one-tenth its summertime rate and they become dormant prior to emerging as adults in May or June.

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The cocoons of most moth species are extremely tough, even though the insect inside is delicate. They are strong enough to resist winter’s onslaught and provide insulation from heat loss and water loss during the dormant period.

Another strategy moth species use to survive long winters is through migration. For example, the forest tent caterpillar moves southward in autumn for milder climates and returns northward again the next spring. Other species fly to warmer locations or remain inactive on cold winter days and then become active on warmer days when temperatures rise above freezing.

Their antennae are especially sensitive to air-borne stimuli that would be useful for finding food or identifying mates, which suggests that these structures may aid night-flying moths in orienting themselves after emerging from their cocoons in springtime darkness. These are also useful as an early warning system against bats.

In some species, the females emerge from their cocoons before the males and become a meal for male moths on their way out of hiding. Some moths have nocturnal flight periods so long that new generations overlap with old ones, but some species fly by day or night depending upon temperature and other factors.

The recap is like this: Peppered moths spend the winter in a pupal stage, encased in cocoons. In this stage, their metabolism slows to one-tenth its summertime rate and they become dormant prior to emerging as adults in May or June.

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