National Moth Week is celebrated the Last full week in July

Roger Tory Peterson is best know for coming out with the first easy to use bird field guide for the average person to identify birds. But moths first got him started on his path to investigating nature as a boy. He even received special permission from the police chief to stay up past curfew to observe moths attracted to the many street lights in Jamestown, NY.

Why moths?

• Moths are among the most diverse and successful organisms on earth.
• Scientists estimate there are 150,000 to more than 500,000 moth species.
• Their colors and patterns are either dazzling or so cryptic that they define camouflage. Shapes and sizes span the gamut from as small as a pinhead to as large as an adult’s hand.
• Most moths are nocturnal, and need to be sought at night to be seen – others fly like butterflies during the day.
• Finding moths can be as simple as leaving a porch light on and checking it after dark. Serious moth aficionados use special lights and baits to attract them.

   National Moth Week provides a much-needed spotlight on moths and their ecological importance as well as their incredible biodiversity.  National Moth Week offers everyone, everywhere a unique opportunity to become a Citizen Scientist and contribute scientific data about moths. Numerous organizations around the world have partnered with National Moth Week and are supporting the event. Through partnerships with major online biological data depositories, National Moth Week participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe. Read more at: http://nationalmothweek.org/

The Encyclopedia of Life Moth Week slide show: http://youtu.be/Tgran-7KoFo

This podcast and slide show is part of the One Species at a Time series from the Encyclopedia of Life (eol.org). Hosted by Ari Daniel Shapiro and produced by Atlantic Public Media. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attributions 3.0 United States License. Read more at: http://nationalmothweek.org/

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