In celebration of National Moth Week (coming up: July 22-30th) and our fine nocturnal Lepidoptera friends, we hosted a Moth Party on the farm this past weekend.
We strung up a white sheet on the laundry line and spread another out on the grass. Dusted off the chicken brooder lamps and lugged out our loupes and helpful (and less helpful) moth identification guides. And watched the happenings. It was captivating and incredible. And super fun.
Here are photos of a few of the moth party attendees: (bigger! click on this image)
So much more than moths joined the party. Special surprises include lady bugs, a bumble bee, dragon fly, and a mantid fly(!). Swarms of itty bitty leaf hoppers. Some spiders. Lacewings(!!) And a wicked smart wasp who spent the evening cruising up the illuminated sheet eating everything in its path, like Pacman. A bzzzillion thanks to our friend Jane, a brilliant and enthusiastic young naturalist and coolest middle schooler we know, who came equipped with her own butterfly net and observation cage and helped us all with the evening’s invertebrate identification.
This is a clover looper who has worn scales of her (his?) thorax, likely from wedging into flowers, under leaf litter, behind bark, or other tight spots. Crack climbing the farm.
Farm nightlife is hoppin’. Thanks to everyone who came by and joined us in appreciation and admiration of all these little critters. We’re already looking forward to the next Moth Party. 
P.S. We originally schemed projecting Mothra on a second screen (which attracts more moths: white light or Godzilla vs. Mothra?). Due to poor time management on the farmers’ part, we didn’t get the VHS/projector/screen set up as planned. Our apologies for this. Next time.
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