Happy Moth Week!
In honor of moth week, I’ve put up a moth page in the species accounts section of this site.
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A few years back, when living in Colorado, I wanted so much to be in Yellowstone and document things there. But rather than focus on what I couldn’t do at the moment, I turned to learn more about the world there at my fingertips. There, I found moths.
The shop light shone in the dog yard every night and drew in plenty of moths. Taking my cup of coffee with me on delicious early summer mornings in the mountains, the dogs and I headed outside. The Samoyeds sniffed the air and watched the world go by while I looked at what moths showed up overnight. Since it was cool, the moths didn’t move much until the sunlight hit them. The beauty and variety I saw just astounded me. Who knew moths were so diverse? Naturally, I started to grab the camera with the macro lens to capture this variety. Just by paying attention to what’s there increased my appreciation for it. And that, in turn, brought more joy into my life.
Thus, another section in my field journal opened up. What I learned is that there aren’t many really good identification books for moths. However, that’s changing. Thanks to Seabrooke Leckie and David Beadle we all now have access to field guides to moths – covering Northeastern and now Southeastern North America. I sincerely hope they move out west as well.
These two amazing field guides they created will help me when I get to more of those photos in my photo collection. If you’re building a naturalist reference library, these two are wonderful ones to add. (affiliate links)
- Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America
- Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America
You don’t have to be in Yellowstone to practice your naturalist skills. Start where you are. This is the peak of the mothing season, so if you want to witness the sheer variety of moths that visit your area, this is a great summertime family project. Even if you only take one night to see what’s out there, you’ll enrich your life by doing so. Bringing a little more wonder into your life is always a good thing.
MOTHING LINKS
