Ask the Experts

Pros offer spring plant care tips and tough IDs

Q What can I do to stop a bird from singing loudly at night?

Kenn and Kimberly: This is a challenge because the birds known for singing loudly at night in North America are all native species that are protected by law. A northern mockingbird may sing right through the middle of the night. American robins sometimes begin their dawn chorus extremely early, before the first hint of light on the eastern horizon. There are few legal or ethical options for making them stop. In general the best response is to shut your windows, or turn on a fan or other white noise to muffle the sound. These nighttime serenades last for only a few weeks at most, during the peak of the breeding season, and wouldn't be happening year-round.

Q What's the name of this moth? 

Kenn and Kimberly: One of the smaller members of the sphinx moth (also known as hummingbird moth) family, this is an Abbott's sphinx (Sphecodina abbottii). The species is widespread in eastern North America, and its larvae usually feed on the leaves of wild grape plants (Vitis spp.). The adult moths often visit flowers at dusk, and sometimes earlier in the day. They make a soft buzzing sound in flight, unlike most sphinx moths, and they may have some natural protection from predators because of their slight resemblance to large bees.

Q My Major Wheeler honeysuckle vine got infested with these tiny gray bugs or eggs. What are they? Susan Huffington