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

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The aluminium saw at work broke down at eight o'clock last night, and I seized the opportunity to end my shift early. The purpose was clear. Go home, pick up mothing gear and go hunting 😁 The weather is scheduled to change with colder temperatures and rain coming, so it would be one of the last good nights in May. I caught 47!
47 moths on a cold May night. Despite temperatures dropping down to 2° celsius, they kept on coming.
I heard some bats on the bat detector, scared the living shits out of a fox, and caught a bunch of moths. It's an excellent way of spending the night.
#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #Mothing #MothsMatter #Pollinators #MothsAndButterflies #WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature #Conservation

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in reply to Nico V

@icetroll
The last 2-3 seasons have been dismal here. The sum total of moths seems to be in a steep and fast decline. Full sheets are rare now.

47 is a decent number, but six years ago, I would have easily been able to catch that many, in my tiny, middle of the city backyard, using a cheap UV bulb from the hardware store.
This year I seriously upgraded my gear, and I have access to a nature preserve.
It's depressing and I doubt it will get better.

I had time to visit Stensbæk Hede again. I think visiting, and crawling around on all fours in the heather might become a recurring theme this year 😁
#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #Herpetology #MothsMatter #Pollinators #MothsAndButterflies #WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature

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I am a lucky, lucky potato. I took a trip to Stensbæk Hede early this morning. First I found the severed wings of a male Saturnia pavonia -Lille Natpåfugleøje -Emperor Moth. Two minutes later I found a female laying eggs and then another female.

#MothsMatter #Mothing #Lepidoptera #Entemology #iNaturalist

in reply to Maria Petersen

I found a dying female once and brought her home, where she laid some eggs. One of them survived past mini caterpillar stage and then it made a cocoon - I forgot about it in my office until one morning there was a horrible stench, and I was privileged to watch a moth emerge from the cocoon.

From an egg the size of a grain of salt to a weird spiky caterpillar that eats lots of leaves to a moth - nature is amazing!

Beautiful photo by the way.

This entry was edited (6 months ago)

Buggerit, millennium hand and shrimp! This muppet forgot to bring snacks.
I found one dry muesli bar from last year at the bottom of my backpack, but that didn't last long.
And it's cold out here. Teeth chattering cold. Next time it's woolen kecks, a blanket and mittens.
And a thermos of hot cocoa.
The new moth light gave the half moon a run for its money, but considering the clear skies, it was a good thing I was camped out next to a pond. I caught one..one single solitary moth. Ah well, better days are coming.
#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #Mothing #MothsMatter #Pollinators #MothsAndButterflies
#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

Last night I heard a blackbird sing...spring is coming, and with spring comes an abundance of moths. Mothing is a favourite pastime of mine. This year I have upgraded my gear, and found some new alluring spots to spend nighttime looking for new wonderful critters. It will occasionally be very cold, I will get stung by mosquitoes, bitten by ticks and my back will be killing me for lugging all that gear off the trail. But seeing a badger come closer out of curiosity, having bats swooping low over my head, hearing owls calling, foxes barking, and on top of that, coming home with a memory-card bursting with pictures of beautiful moths.. that just makes me check the forecast twice a day. How soon can I go again.

#Mothing #MothWatching #Wildlife #inaturalist

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