Thanks for that great essay on moths Bryan. I purposely plant in my garden the tall and fragrant variety of white flowering tobacco because it attracts sphinx moths to it shortly after sunset, which is a spectacle to behold!
Thank you for the reminder! I need to get my sheet up at least one time this week. I visited an untouched private prairie remnant in Illinois over the weekend where I photographed an as yet unnamed schinia sp. moth caterpillar that was using French grass (orbexilum onobrychis). So very exciting to see something not yet scientifically documented. It gives me hope that no matter how terribly we humans treat this planet that nature might, by some miracle, still survive us.
Lovely - something to look forward to this week in the world of nocturnal nature. It's like the Motel 6 ad says..."We'll leave a light on for you." I can see why you enjoy saying the names - and photographing these unique beauties. Nature, even when she's dishing out catastrophe, always finds a way to redeem in your heart.
I started this year in March, after firing up a light for moth week last year. Last year I logged roughly 140 species using iNat. I reached 125 species last night, and this year I’m keeping a database including larval hosts and basic phenology. The diversity is astounding, and their essential existence to a diverse ecosystem is priceless. That’s my takeaway, and my soapbox. Thank you for this!
Wow Bryan! These are so spectacular! Love learning more about moths. They don’t get nearly as much attention as their dazzling cousins, the butterfly 🦋
Thanks for this Moth Week tantalizer! (Two night in and no sleep likely . . .) I have forwarded your great article to the others on a small team surveying moths in burn and non-burn areas close by. Your photos are inspirational and aspirational.
I was fortunate enough to live in Australia for a couple of years and scuba-dive once in the Great Barrier Reef. It was unforgettable, so colorful and beautiful. I don't think what we have in our own homes is any less beautiful, but the gift you give is helping us see it. I've been looking more closely at moths and their variety since you started writing about them. Delightful! And there's no oxygen tank required.
OK, you've done it. I am officially contemplating some sort of participation in Moth Week. Crazy that it's the same time as Shark Week. Or is it NOT crazy?
Once again, Bryan, you've proven to have the mojo to motivate and inspire. Thank you.
Love this mothy celebration. Aren't they wonderful? I had a beautiful wood ymph hanging out in the bathroom till I gently relocated it out the window. Thanks for your adventuring.
Thank you. Moths are indeed quite beautiful. Beetles can be surprisingly beautiful like the normally unwelcome Japanese beetle. They are hard on plants most of us like but very lovely to see. The whole planet is home to an amazing array of unique, wonderful and beautiful life forms.
Here is my weird question....What happens if a moth flies into your ear? Strange, I know, but it could happen. Do you have any experience with that? Thanks in advance for your advice!
Grossly under-appreciated, usually ignored, and probably under-studied as well. That, however, doesn't alter how fascinating they are. I love this post, Bryan! Thanks for this!
I love this piece, Bryan, and this line: "By day and night, in the theater of our own backyards, moths embody a spectacle no less monumental than the story of life on Earth." I hadn't thought of moths quite like you've presented them here, as ideally accessible and beautiful symbols of both biodiversity and its loss. They're certainly easier to find and admire than the innumerable beetles and parasitic wasps. They're just waiting for us to pay attention. They're tapping on my windows as I type this, in fact... Thank you, again, for shining your light right where we need it.
The Moth and the Flame
Thanks for that great essay on moths Bryan. I purposely plant in my garden the tall and fragrant variety of white flowering tobacco because it attracts sphinx moths to it shortly after sunset, which is a spectacle to behold!
Thank you for the reminder! I need to get my sheet up at least one time this week. I visited an untouched private prairie remnant in Illinois over the weekend where I photographed an as yet unnamed schinia sp. moth caterpillar that was using French grass (orbexilum onobrychis). So very exciting to see something not yet scientifically documented. It gives me hope that no matter how terribly we humans treat this planet that nature might, by some miracle, still survive us.
Lovely - something to look forward to this week in the world of nocturnal nature. It's like the Motel 6 ad says..."We'll leave a light on for you." I can see why you enjoy saying the names - and photographing these unique beauties. Nature, even when she's dishing out catastrophe, always finds a way to redeem in your heart.
I started this year in March, after firing up a light for moth week last year. Last year I logged roughly 140 species using iNat. I reached 125 species last night, and this year I’m keeping a database including larval hosts and basic phenology. The diversity is astounding, and their essential existence to a diverse ecosystem is priceless. That’s my takeaway, and my soapbox. Thank you for this!
Wow Bryan! These are so spectacular! Love learning more about moths. They don’t get nearly as much attention as their dazzling cousins, the butterfly 🦋
Thanks for this Moth Week tantalizer! (Two night in and no sleep likely . . .) I have forwarded your great article to the others on a small team surveying moths in burn and non-burn areas close by. Your photos are inspirational and aspirational.
Thank you! We have hummingbird clearwing moths feeding on our petunias and I love watching them at night (so does our cat). Nature is wonderful.
I was fortunate enough to live in Australia for a couple of years and scuba-dive once in the Great Barrier Reef. It was unforgettable, so colorful and beautiful. I don't think what we have in our own homes is any less beautiful, but the gift you give is helping us see it. I've been looking more closely at moths and their variety since you started writing about them. Delightful! And there's no oxygen tank required.
OK, you've done it. I am officially contemplating some sort of participation in Moth Week. Crazy that it's the same time as Shark Week. Or is it NOT crazy?
Once again, Bryan, you've proven to have the mojo to motivate and inspire. Thank you.
Hi Bryan,
Love this mothy celebration. Aren't they wonderful? I had a beautiful wood ymph hanging out in the bathroom till I gently relocated it out the window. Thanks for your adventuring.
Thank you. Moths are indeed quite beautiful. Beetles can be surprisingly beautiful like the normally unwelcome Japanese beetle. They are hard on plants most of us like but very lovely to see. The whole planet is home to an amazing array of unique, wonderful and beautiful life forms.
Thanks for the reminder, in the midst of chaos and repair, about the small and beautiful among us.
Here is my weird question....What happens if a moth flies into your ear? Strange, I know, but it could happen. Do you have any experience with that? Thanks in advance for your advice!
Grossly under-appreciated, usually ignored, and probably under-studied as well. That, however, doesn't alter how fascinating they are. I love this post, Bryan! Thanks for this!
I love this piece, Bryan, and this line: "By day and night, in the theater of our own backyards, moths embody a spectacle no less monumental than the story of life on Earth." I hadn't thought of moths quite like you've presented them here, as ideally accessible and beautiful symbols of both biodiversity and its loss. They're certainly easier to find and admire than the innumerable beetles and parasitic wasps. They're just waiting for us to pay attention. They're tapping on my windows as I type this, in fact... Thank you, again, for shining your light right where we need it.