Guest post by Karen Yukich
High Park Moth Night was held on July 30 this year, after a late-day thunderstorm cleared up just in time. This annual event is co-sponsored by the Toronto Entomologists’ Association and the High Park Nature Centre. Over 50 people attended, ranging from young families to senior naturalists. Moths were attracted with lights and sheets, as well as “moth goop” on trees. Over 60 species were seen – about average for this event – including six underwing species. About 18 species were all-time additions. David Beadle, TEA member and co-author of the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, led the team of TEA volunteers who arranged the setup and provided IDs. Staff from the High Park Nature Centre and Tom Mason (retired curator of invertebrates from Toronto Zoo) provided an introduction to moths.
High Park is a large urban park in Toronto (about 400 acres). About 1/3 of the park consists of nationally rare oak savannah and woodlands. For more information about the park and its natural features, visit www.highparknature.org. A list of current and past Moth Night sightings is posted on the Moths page of this website.
