Night Moth Hiking in Eagle Marsh

On a warm July evening I joined a small group of folks who had gathered for a night hike at Eagle Marsh. They were there to watch moths, catch moths (and release them), and to learn about moths.  
 
Late July is a wonderful time to hike the marsh. The many shades of brown that marked fall and winter are long gone. In their place are vibrant colors from a plethora of wildflowers. These are mixed with grasses, vines, and cattails. The grasses and flowers were at time taller than us.  
 
The scenery changed continually. We left the barn and first hiked through the wooded area. That then merged into grasslands and finally marsh. We all walked with our nets in hand. We also had our smartphones handy with the iNaturalist app ready for use. We were ready to enjoy nature and to participate as citizen scientists. 
 
Ourt small group was a heterogeneous group. It consisted of a child (who was very bright), mothers, couples, young adults and members who made me feel like a young adult. What we shared was a love of nature and a sense of belonging to the natural world. 
 
As we hiked we saw many insects and caught few moths. We also saw egrets, a swan family, ducks, herons, bats, and many leopard frogs. We also heard coyote howling.  
 
As the evening got darker, we gathered our collected moths and insects and brought them into the barn. There we comparted them to a butterfly and moth collection, to a photo guide, and we looked at them under a microscope that projected the image onto a monitor. We then learned more about moths. 
 
Our teacher for the evening was Aly Munger. She was a perfect balance of prepared, knowledgeable, and humble. She easily got all of engaged, there were no silent bystander. So, some of the things we learned about moths: 
 
Butterflies have bared, almost wired antennae. Moth antennae is feathered or fluffy looking. 
Butterflies have their wings folded back while resting, moths have their wings folded out. 
Butterflies are often larger than moths but there are big moths and small butterflies. 
Butterflies are often more colorful than moths, but not always. Moths are often duller, but not always. 
Butterflies are mainly diurnal while moths are mainly nocturnal. 
For me, the most major difference is the ecological niche moths have. Butterflies and bees are daytime pollinators. Moths and bats and nighttime pollinators. 
 
After we had a lesson, appreciated our collection, and released them, we had one more task. It was now dark. We went back outside and made a circle of folding chairs. In the center we placed a light and then covered it with a white sheet. This then became a focal point for a gathering of moths and other nocturnal insects. The sky was a blaze of orange as the sun set. The outline o the city could be seen. Bats flew overhead and we were busy “mothing.” 
 
It was a good evening. We learned about the moth’s value as pollinators and as food for birds, reptiles, and small mammals. We enjoyed one another’s company. And we got to spend an evening at Eagle Marsh.  ​