It has been a busy, busy year. And the best month of mothing has just started.
I have been haunting a local nature preserve called Kær Vestermark. I used to call it the grass desert, because it was close to a larger city, and the conservation efforts seemed to mostly be about conserving a nice area with cut lawns for dogwalkers and pedestrians. It has changed for the better in recent years, with cattle grazing and new ponds for amphibians.
The decline in moth numbers is concerning, though. I catch smaller numbers than I did four years ago, despite upgrading both gear and location. Last year I chalked it up to a wet spring, the year before that, a cold summer. This year....it's depressing.
I find species I haven't seen before, that is awesome, but some species, that used to be common as dirt, are showing up in smaller numbers or missing entirely.

#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #Mothing #MothsMatter #Pollinators #MothsAndButterflies #WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature

Some more picture spam from Stensbæk Hede. I grew up within bicycle distance of the heath, so much of my youth has been spent out there. I only wish I had discovered how much fun looking for birds and insects was back then. Going back there as an adult makes me realize how much I missed out on.

#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #MothsMatter #MothsAndButterflies
#Birds #Ornithology #WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature

The Nature guides at Kær Vestermark were positive to the idea of letting me survey nocturnal butterflies throughout this season. There was a meeting, project and methodology description, a show and tell of my equipment, and the moths I have registered so far. Very official, and I almost sounded like I knew what I was doing 😁
Today I was supposed to be out scouting access to the locations for this season's mothing.... but then birds happened.
I'll just have to consult the map and bring a bigger torchlight when I start. Probably stumble over fences, get stuck in brambles, and get wet feet when an unexpected bog appears. But worth it, because Birds. And a single fly.

#Birding #Birds #Birdwatching #Ornithology #Entomology #Insects
#WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature #Conservation

The LepiLED get a seal of approval from me. It's lightweight, doesn't consume much power and it sure did bring out the moths. 18 of them were waiting in the trap for me come morning. That is impressive for a cold April night.

#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #Mothing #MothsMatter #MothMonday #Pollinators #MothsAndButterflies #Nature #Biology #iNaturalist

I didn't see the wolves this time but a visit to Klelund Plantation is never wasted. This time I stumbled upon a beetle I hadn't met before and I caught a glimpse of the elusive Wild Boar.
The wild boar -Sus scrofa was shamefully hunted to extinction in Denmark in 1801. A fence has been erected along the border to keep them out. They are potential carriers of swine flu and this is bacon country. We can't have species around that could threaten our wallets, and farmers in Denmark often get their way at the expense of nature.
There are a few fenced parks where small populations of healthy boars have been introduced,

Typhaeus typhoeus -Trehornet Skarnbasse or the minotaur beetle, is a beetle in the family Geotrupidae, an earth-boring dung beetle. They are native to Europe but unfortunately rare due to the destruction of habitat. They are found in sandy, sunny areas of pine forests or in sandy moorland. Often in areas with high concentrations of Cervus elaphus- Red deer.

#WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature #Conservation #Entomology
#Insects