Igniting A Passion for Moths

Originally published in the Thickson’s Woods Land Trust newsletter

Dennis Barry had repeatedly invited me down to Thickson’s Woods to join in an evening and morning of mothing. It was circa 2015 and I was in the midst of an all-consuming career in education. Although I very much appreciated each and every invite, I declined repeatedly due to the long drive, busy family life, etc.

In 2017, I organized a bioblitz here in Haliburton County for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust. I threw out an invitation to the Thickson’s Moth crew, hoping they might be interested in participating. Thankfully, they agreed. Dave Beadle, Mike King, Phill Holder, Mike McEvoy, Dennis Barry, and Margaret Carney all made the trek up to the Dahl Forest for an evening of moth trapping. Again, due to my commitments to organizing and running the event, I was unable to assist directly. Despite the rather cool night, the team still ended up finding almost 200 species of moths, many of which were new to them (and the County records!). When I stopped by to check in on them, they were all busy doing their thing…traps were being emptied, and tables were slowly filling with small pill bottles (each with a beautiful moth inside). Tripods with cameras were quickly erected, stages were set up, and slowly the meticulous process of photographing and documenting each moth was initiated. After photos, every moth was released to return back to its home. After the event, the team was impressed with the area enough that they vowed to return. Besides, I had to see what this “mothing” was all about.

Owl-eyed Bird-dropping Moth (Cerma cora)

Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)

The next morning, we gathered in the early hours to begin opening the traps. Egg cartons were lifted carefully, and Dave (with his encyclopedic knowledge) would call out all the species he was seeing. Margaret would quickly record the name on paper. Again, I was flabbergasted at the knowledge this team possessed. Some of the commoner species everyone had seen before were released immediately, but many of the more interesting ones were jarred so they could be photographed. As I watched and listened, the transformation that had begun the night before intensified. I was now hooked! I needed to get on this ride!

The day melted away, and the team slowly departed, heading back home to southern Ontario. But, not before I had a few questions answered. Where does one buy a moth trap? How much are they? How could I get one? Thankfully, Phill Holder was kind enough to build me a trap. I picked it up a few weeks later. My obsession had officially begun.

Orange Virbia (Virbia aurantiaca)

Orange-headed Epicallima (Epicallima argenticinctella)

Since those early days in 2017, I have been passionate about moths. I have since retired from teaching, allowing me to spend more time exploring this largely nocturnal world. Much like the team from Thickson’s, I spend quite a bit of time photographing them (mostly because I can get assistance from experts in identifying difficult species or genera on platforms such as iNaturalist). Last year, in particular, with the “stay at home” order issued by the government due to Covid-19, I trapped almost nightly in my yard from early April to early November.

Virgin Tiger Moth (Grammia virgo)

Harris’s Three-spot (Harrisimemna trisigmata)

So what has this latest learning curve revealed? Well, as I write this piece, I have recorded over 1125 species just in my one-acre yard! In my wildest dreams, I would never have predicted those sorts of numbers. And, every time the trap goes out, one or two new species continue to show up. My wife Barb likes to jokingly point out that I am now on a “random reinforcing loop,” like an addicted gambler. Every time I am rewarded with something new, the trap goes out again.

Tonight is looking good for moths…warm, humid, not much wind. I think I’ll set the trap out again on the back deck. I wonder what precious little gift tonight will bring?

Editor’s Note: Since writing this story, Ed has increased his total number of species recorded to 1,200! 

For more from Ed about his passion for moths, check out his interview with DUC.