Moths of Greater Austin, TX's Journal

Greater Austin, TX (GATX), are you ready for National Moth Week (NMW)?! The event runs from July 22-30. Hang a sheet with an ultraviolet or other light, or just turn on the porch light, and then snap some photos of the moths that come around. Just like last year, NMW will partner with iNaturalist to record observations during the event. You can “Join Project” at the link below. I really enjoy watching the observations as they roll in to the Project, as there are some spectacular moths (and photos) from around the world. To check out the archived photos from NMWs 2020, 2021, and 2022, search iNaturalist Projects for “National Moth Week”. Once you select a Project if you click on “Observations” and then “Grid” you’ll be presented with the photos in a large thumbnail form for easy viewing. Scroll to the bottom of the page to “View More” and then scroll to the bottom again to access grid page numbers.

Be sure and visit the NMW website for background information on the event, an event map, and blog posts with various subjects, including light set-ups. For the blogs, look under “Finding Moths”, then “Resources”, and “Mothing [Blog Posts]”.

National Moth Week

National Moth Week (iNaturalist Project)

Moth on!

As we get ready for National Moth Week (July 22-30, 2023) I’d like to pass on a photography tip that one of my iNaturalist moth mentors taught me early on to facilitate moth identification. As a newbie, I was taking photos of only the top (or dorsal side) of the moth in almost every case. That’s fine for “flat” moths like this Brown-shaded Gray where all the important details necessary for the identification are easily seen. But for moths that have a more cylindrical shape, that won’t really won’t cut it in many cases.

As an example, check out the series below where I started with a dorsal shot of one of the Tarache bird-dropping moths. You can already see that image is not optimum for identification to species. However, the following lateral shots of three different Tarache species capture the important field marks. Getting the lateral shots? I typically step to the side of the moth as it sits on the sheet or other surface and position my camera to get the moth with head and body straight up or down, or head and body level, facing left or right. I then use my photo editor to rotate the moth so it faces left or right, with the body level, as shown in the lateral images here.

On the lateral photos I marked in red some of the areas used for species identification, but rather than discuss those here, I’ll refer you to the observation below where Chuck provides excellent detail to differentiate Four-patched and Four-spotted Bird-dropping Moths, which are quite similar in appearance.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87762815

Enjoy National Moth Week!