Boston Flora

Tag: moths

  • Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Explore the Nighttime World of Caterpillars and Moths, Live and Online

    Grow Native Massachusetts concludes its 2026 free public lecture series on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 pm in person at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, 11 French Drive in Boylston, and also online. The Caterpillar Lab will present a photograph and video packed talk that explores the nighttime world of caterpillars, moths, and how to find them. Join us to learn how we can explore our own backyard habitats through the eyes of a moth, using UV and special light traps to uncover a whole new perspective. This special lecture will include time to meet a few special caterpillar specimens up close and, and chat with Caterpillar Lab educators about all things local caterpillar. In-person attendees will also get to try out blacklight flashlights!

    The Caterpillar Lab is a non-profit based in New Hampshire that fosters greater appreciation and care for the complexity and beauty of natural history through live caterpillar educational programs, research initiatives, and photography and film projects. They believe that an increased awareness of one’s local environment is the foundation on which healthy and responsible attitudes towards the broader natural systems of this world are built.

    Register at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/evenings-experts

  • Thursday, December 4, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – Welcome to the Dark Side: Discovering Moths, Online

    Join naturalist Dave Small online on December 4 at 7 pm Eastern for an introduction to attracting and watching moths in your backyard. Discover the native plants you can introduce to your landscape to attract a wide variety of butterflies and moths. Learn how to use lights and bait to attract moths for viewing and get a glimpse of some of the moths you might encounter on a warm summer evening.

    Dave is the Director of Conservation leading a team of land protection specialists in fulfilling the mission of Mount Grace in protecting our open spaces. Dave retired in 2013 after 35 years with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he served as Assistant Regional Director at the DCR Quabbin Reservoir. His dedication to conservation and natural history continues as he leads a team tasked with protecting the landscapes he loves.

    This webinar is sponsored by Newton Conservators, a nonprofit citizens’ group advocating for Newton’s open spaces. Sign up: https://shorturl.at/8keDR

  • Thursday, July 23 – Cambridge Moth Ball

    The 2025 Cambridge Moth Ball on July 23 will include costumes, art, activities, science, and, of course, moths and moth ID. Expect short presentations by local conservation organizations as well as moth traps and photography—all under the stars. Try your hand at taking some moth photos. Learn to ID a moth and submit your data to researchers.

    Bring a chair, some bug spray, and a snack, and enjoy a summer night out under the stars. In Massachusetts, there are about 3,000 species of moths, compared to about 100 species of butterflies. But moths, like butterflies, are experiencing rapid population declines. Moths play a critical role in the health of the environment, as food for birds and mammals, and as pollinators of thousands of woodland tree and plant species.

    If moth populations and diversity continue to decline, their loss would devastate bird and mammal populations as well as forest lifecycles. The consequences would include a rapid increase in global warming. 

    The more we know about moths, the more we can learn to protect them—and what each of us can do to protect them. As part of this event, we’ll be sharing data with several scientific databases for researchers. Registration is open at https://www.bostonbirdingfestival.org/posts/moth-ball-2025/

    See you out there!  WANT TO VOLUNTEER? Email us at hello@bostonbirdingfestival.org

  • Friday, April 26, 12:00 noon – 1:15 pm Eastern – Butterflies and Moths: Winged Wonders, Online

    Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are one of the most abundant groups of insects—one in every ten animals on the planet is a butterfly or moth. What are the secrets of their extraordinary success?

    In a lively Smithsonian Associates Zoom presentation accompanied by stunning images, Emmy Award–winning wildlife documentary filmmaker Steve Nicholls presents some of the latest scientific discoveries as he explores the world of butterflies and moths to find out why they’ve been so successful. Along the way, discover the world’s deadliest caterpillars, a moth with a tongue over a foot long, a caterpillar that looks exactly like a venomous snake, and a butterfly that shares its world with polar bears at one extreme and penguins at the other.

    Learn about moths whose wing scales have better sound-absorbing qualities than anything we can construct to hide from the sonar of hunting bats. Others have long tail streamers with sound-reflecting surfaces at their tips to give bats a false target. Yet others scream at bats to jam their sonar completely. It seems there’s no end to the tricks that evolution has come up with as it turned the Lepidoptera into one of the most successful of all insect groups.

    The event takes place Friday, April 26 at noon, and is $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/butterflies-and-moths (Below: an io moth, photo Steve Nicholls)

  • Wednesday, October 19, 9:30 am – 11:30 pm – Drawing Butterflies and Moths in Colored Pencil, Online

    On Wednesday, October 19 from 9:30 – 11:30, explore the beauty of butterflies and moths. This two-hour online workshop will introduce observational drawing techniques with pencil and then dive into colored pencil techniques used to create a rich, vibrant image. All skill levels are welcome.   Fees: $30 HMNH members/$35 nonmembers. Advanced registration is required at https://reservations.hmsc.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=11

  • Saturday, July 23, 9:00 pm – The Mothball Returns

    Shelley and Dave Small invite our friends and neighbors to the Annual MothBall at our home at 1542 Pleasant Street, Athol. July 23rd 2022 9:00 PM to whenever… Please follow current Covid protocols when at our home. Bring flashlight, camera, lawn chair, a beverage and/or snack to share (keep it simple grab and go) and your sense of adventure.  No rain date. This will be an all outdoor event portable toilet in place. Please register with https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4R-fxPLozgTOSM7L69uB7bmEkGa5dl8BYlCtDk-z9oxy46g/viewform just to let us know who is coming Looking forward to a fun evening. Welcome to the dark side 😊 Dave at Dave@atholbirdclub.org if you have additional questions.

  • Tuesday, July 19, 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm – Moths! Under the Portico

    Join the Athol Bird and Nature Club at the Athol Public Library, 568 Main Street in Athol, on July 19 at 8:30 pm, after dark, for an evening of looking at moths outdoors. July is National Moth Month. Why moths?

    • Moths are among the most diverse and successful organisms on earth.
    • Scientists estimate there may be 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. 

    Presented by Dave Small, President and Acting Director of the Athol Bird and Nature Club.

    For over twenty-eight years, Dave has been the charismatic leader of the Club. His skills as a naturalist, trip leader, and presenter are in demand throughout New England. Through Dave’s efforts, the Center is recognized as the place to hold meetings that relate to natural history and the environment.

    This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services – Dig-In Grant.

    Registration is required for this event.  Please register here or by calling 978-249-9515. Free and open to the public. Rain date:  July 26.

  • Wednesday, June 10, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Landscaping With a Purpose: What’s Diversity Got To Do With It? Webinar

    In the fragmented ecosystems where we live and work, the importance of diversity in our landscapes cannot be over emphasized. Diversity of native plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians… they all play a crucial role in sustaining a healthy environment.

    When we encourage a diversity of native plants in the landscape, we provide just one component of a successful habitat. We all learned the components of sustainable habitats when we were in elementary school – all creatures need food, shelter, and water.

    But what does this mean in a landscape? We need diversity of food: native plants that supply food for insects that in turn become food for other insects, birds, and animals large and small. We must have plant diversity to feed a diversity of creatures, but we also need structural diversity. Places for butterflies to hide at night and moths to hide during the day. Places for all sorts of creatures to shelter from weather, both summer and winter. Places for cover and nesting sites. We need diversity of form: trees, shrubs, evergreens, and groundcovers; leaf litter, brush piles, rock piles and fallen logs. We also need water – streams, ponds, bird baths, and mud puddles. Incorporating all these elements into the landscape does not require a large space, but it does require creative vision.

    Dr. Randi Eckel has been studying native plants for over 30 years, and founded the mail-order native plant nursery Toadshade Wildflower Farm in 1996 to further public awareness and availability of native plants. A life-long naturalist, lover of nature, and confirmed plant and ecology nerd, Randi specializes in the interactions between plants and other living things. She is known for her lively and engaging lectures and workshops on growing and propagating native plants, and offers interesting, nuanced information on the complex issues facing native plants and native plant communities. This Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar will be held June 10 at noon, and is free, but registration is required at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-landscaping-with-purpose/

  • Thursday, June 4, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Gardening for Butterflies and Moths

    Learn how to attract butterflies and moths to your garden and cater to their unique lifecycle requirements in this Arnold Arboretum June 4 program focused exclusively on lepidopteran-friendly gardening techniques. Colin McCallum-Cook will describe the food plants required by caterpillars, the flowers needed to provide nectar, and importantly, the habitat requirements for successful overwintering of cocoons in the garden. The session will take place in the Hunnewell Building from 5:30 – 8:00 and is $25 for Arboretum members, $32 for nonmembers.

    Lepidopteran conservation in New England is more important than ever, as many formerly common species are now threatened with extirpation.

    Colin McCallum-Cook will also show you how to use citizen science applications to monitor species in your garden and contribute valuable data to the cause of lepidopteran conservation. To register call 617-384-5277, or visit http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu. As with all programs scheduled in this age of Covid-19, please call in advance to confirm the course will be able to be held as scheduled.

  • Wednesday, July 31, 7:30 pm – Offshore Entomology: Bees, Moths, and the Hidden Diversity of Vineyard Pollinators

    Visit The Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury on July 31 at 7:30 for a free lecture by Paul Goldstein, research entomologist with the USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Washington, DC, where he is curator in the Lepidoptera (moth) collection at the Smithsonian. This presentation will showcase some of the highlights of 30 years of work devoted to the Island’s insects, and the unique diversity of its native bees, moths, and other pollinators. Featuring vivid images of these insects and their Island habitats, Dr. Goldstein will describe the fascinating biology of some of our most unusual, colorful, and beneficial insect residents, and their importance to understanding our environment.