National Moth Week

The annual Moth Night was held in the Botanic Gardens, Cairns on 28 August 2019. More than 50 members of the public attended, including several children. It was a perfect night–warm, windless and dry. Moth Night is an international event with over a dozen countries taking part. It was organised in the Northern Hemisphere during July. Of course, it is mid-summer in July in those climes and moths are at their peak abundance at that time. We decided to hold our Moth Night a month later this year so it would be closer to Spring and maybe a few more moths than usual would be active. It seemed to be a good move but we feel it would have been even more productive if it were not so dry. A good rain a couple of weeks prior to the even might have prompted more insects to emerged from their winter slumber.
Moth-ers assembled at 6.00 pm in the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre for a short talk and to meet one another and view a couple of drawers of local moth specimens that they might encounter later. Light refreshments were served and then the attendees went out to check the two light sheets, We wandered around observing and photographing insects that were active in the vicinity of the light sheets. Most folks agreed that spiders outnumbered the insects. Several large Wolf Spiders and Huntsmen of various sizes were out and about. Lacewing eggs and a few caterpillars as well as nymphal katydids were discovered.
Photos were provided by Kylie Brown (KB), Louisa Grandy (LG) and Buck Richardson (BR).

To see more photos – click here

This is my second year of National Moth Week. While last year I organized a public moth watching event at a national park in Nepal (Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Kathmandu), this year was different. I set up a light trap this year using a 160W Mercury Vapor Lamp and a white sheet during the entire month of July in 2 different districts of Nepal; Tanahun (for about 2 days) and Kaski ( for the rest of the month) with altitudes ranging from 2300 ft.-3800 ft.

Every (almost!) night after 7 PM, I would set up the light trap either at a special location or just on the balcony of my house. I’d then take a chair and sit by the light trap with my camera (also an umbrella if it’s raining). I photographed and recorded more than 300 different species of moths only during the entire month. Some other attendees were Hemipterans, Coleopterans, Hymenopterans, Trichopterans and Mantodeans.

National Moth Week is something that should be expanded and celebrated in countries all across the globe. After all, butterflies aren’t the only ones which are attractive!

National Moth Week is around the corner and the buzz can be felt throughout the scheduled mothing events across the globe, all preparing to make it a grand one. About 40 countries are participating in 2019 edition of NMW and the citizen scientists are waiting eagerly for the moths to glam up their event.

A little girl from India, Shreemoyee Das is just 7 year old but her interest towards science and environment is just amazing, every time she gets an opportunity to express her love for nature she beautifully narrates her perspective through her artistic approach and showcases her love through beautiful sketches. She is the youngest volunteer of NMW this edition for us at Jashpur, Chhattisgarh, India.

Shreemoyee has always been on the first notch every time an event is there to serve environment and wildlife. She has been educating their fellow classmates about various creatures of wild and why we need to conserve them. Isn’t this amazing signs for future?? Yes!!! Indeed. I am absolutely sure that Shreemoyee and other kids like her will definitely make this a better planet to live that is degrading day by day.

As always educating a kid is always a good investment to invest on. Keen interest, enthusiasm, energy etc. always on high side and that too with a lifelong awareness be pinned upon their heads. There is a saying that, if you want to educate a society for future and with maximum impact, “educate a child”.

Cheers!!! Happy Mothing