Considering that this house was a purchase of opportunity and not one we picked from a long house hunt, I’ve been pretty pleased with the biodiversity of the place. The orchids, some great moths, decent birds, and enough other wild to keep me interested and curious.

This gorgeous tome arrived at the house today. Perusing its bright, crisp plates, I’m excited to dive in to work on the Western moths guide to discover the species as alive.

A nearly overwhelming number of insects at the light tonight. So much to sort through, gotta watch every step. Great problem for a moth-er to have. :)

I don’t think I’ve ever seen my sheet like this! Holy doodle. Mostly Forest Tent Caterpillar moths; it’s an outbreak year for them. This crazy heat wave probably also contributed to the numbers at the sheet.

Here’s the number one reason I keep Monarda in the garden. No plant I’ve tried attracts clearwing sphinxes better. These first two are Hummingbird Clearwings (Hemaris thysbe); the second is a Snowberry Clearwing (H. diffinis).

Moths and memes. Haydn Watters learns all about moths from biologist Seabrooke Leckie

Yesterday I was interviewed by Ontario Morning “roving reporter” Haydn Watters, following the moth memes that were recently going around. We had a fun chat! You can listen to me talk a bit about moths and my interest in them here (starts about 13:25): cbc.ca/listen/shows/o…

Wow, here’s a blast from the past! This remains my favourite trip I’ve ever taken; what an incredible experience. The 22-year-old in that photo had nooo idea what her future held. She was still planning to become a university professor studying Madagascar kingfishers.

This is biologist Seabrooke Leckie. She has devoted much of her career to moths — documenting the thousands of species living here in Ontario. But her passion has turned into a punchline thanks to the explosion of moth memes.

Here’s more from the full interview!

Calling all moth photographers! I'm officially beginning to solicit photos for the new Peterson guide to Western moths. Interested in contributing? More info on image requirements, compensation and submission methods here. Thanks for all your support! seabrookeleckie.com/pfg-to-moths-o…

Bug-hunting (frogs an acceptable alternative) with homemade sweep nets recycled from a sheer princess bed canopy and some spare canvas I had kicking around. 😁