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For the full scoop, please read: Sridhar, H. 2007. Participation by Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes in mixed-species bird flocks in rainforests of the Anamalai hills, Western Ghats, India. Indian Birds 3 (1): 26–28.

The Luna or Indian Moon Moth (Actias selene): Early writing on the Luna Moth and in fact, most moths comes from the field diaries of those who collected specimens...

Hampson (1892): It has been hitherto impossible to name any but the commonest Indian Moths without access to a library, which does not exist anywhere in the East except at Calcutta...

"In very localities in British India have the Moths been collected systematically enough over a large number of years to give results approaching completeness. Sikhim and Ceylon are the best worked tracts.” Hampson, G.F. (1892) The Fauna of British India: Moths - Vol 1, London.

The Indian Moon Moth, Luna Moth (Actias selene) was officially described (read: body parts were measured with a ruler and dimensions were scribbled down with an ink pen into a book) by Jacob Hübner, a German entomologist...

We tried to look for his (Huber's) field diaries from India with no luck and are guessing that he found this moth in the collection of someone who had travelled to South and Southeast Asia (where its found) and collected a few specimens. Anybody know more?

The Luna is part of a family of moths that are amongst the largest and also silk producing. We found it interesting that post descriptions by British butterfly collectors and German entomologists, the largest volume of literature on the Luna Moth comes from sericulture experts.

Although the Luna isn’t commercially exploited for its silk, there has been an ongoing debate in sericulture meet-ups about exploring opportunities with wild silk moths, including the Luna…We don’t know enough to have formed an opinion on this so we’ll leave it at that!

Female Lunas are bigger and more curvaceous than male moths (summarising a scientific paper here). The jury has been perpetually out on whether Lunas in Myanmar are true ‘Actias selenes’ as compared to those found in India (still a scientific publication here, folks!).

Attending a workshop on using art in school education. Today's session was trying potter's clay and the process to use for diff age groups.While we were inside our room trying our hands at it, we realised we had a pro just outside competing,showing off using the same medium :-)

What these moths eat seems to be equally political - sericulturists list cultivated & ornamental plants like hibiscus, sweet gum & walnut. But in a forest, a Luna moth would probably feed on native trees like in the Terminalia family. The same for a biodiverse coffee farm!

Feeding happens when these moths are in their pupa stage. Adults have no mouths! Also short-lived - adults live for a week & total life cycle is 60 days. So for a week out of two months, the Luna moth is a ‘moth-moth’!

This morning, we read a paper on lepidopteran sex-attractant sources. Two scientists in the U.K. decided to use a variety of synthetic sex pheromones to see from what distance Luna moths could sense these pheromones. (Wall and Perry 1987).

So 30 partially drugged male moths were marked and released on a warm sunny afternoon and the scientists calculated the distance they might have travelled to find the pheromone trap...

Anyway, long experiment turned short - it turns out that large, nocturnal moths like the Luna can detect pheromones from up to 11.6 km away in open ground and peaceful wind conditions! Quite something! (Wall & Perry 1987).

The Luna coffee (no we aren’t roasting an endangered moth species either!), is a dark, chocolatey all-out Robusta cherry from Konankatte, South Kodagu. Available from: blackabzacoffee.com

This is a truly biodiverse coffee farm - certified organic and full of native tree species. Adjacent to low-lying paddy farms, elephants are frequent visitors.

We enjoy the Luna most as a rich filter coffee with an accompaniment - chocolate cake works! Available from: blackabzacoffee.com

NEW STORY OUT ON COFFEE GROUNDS: Chasing Stars link.medium.com/58wmFg9Kr1

New Black Baza Coffee delivery came through! This is the time to stick together, support each other. I've been a user and fan for years. Hope all's well with Arshiya and the team. Would count all the good things about this company but I already did. x.com/ShashwatEterna…