We are discovering, mapping, and monitoring moths in Montana, but it’s a huge undertaking and we need your help!
Moths are not only impressively diverse (more than 160,000 species are known, worldwide), but they are also important herbivores, pollinators, and prey. And yet, relatively little is known about Montana’s moths. Northern Rockies Research and Educational Services, ...more ↓
We are discovering, mapping, and monitoring moths in Montana, but it’s a huge undertaking and we need your help!
Moths are not only impressively diverse (more than 160,000 species are known, worldwide), but they are also important herbivores, pollinators, and prey. And yet, relatively little is known about Montana’s moths. Northern Rockies Research and Educational Services, Inc.(NRRES) is working to change that via its flagship program, the Montana Moth Project (MMP). The MMP’s mission is to document and promote Montana’s moth fauna through original, long-term research and collaborative citizen science efforts.
MMP’s work includes collaborations with MPG Ranch, Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity (Chuck Harp), California Academy of Sciences (Chris Grinter & David Bettman), government agencies, private landowners, and citizen scientists like you!
Attracting and documenting moths (i.e., “mothing” or “moth-watching”) is a fun, low-cost activity accessible to people of all ages. Moth-watching can be casual, involving little more than a turned-on porch light, at which moths will cluster for easy observation (i.e., “porch light biology”), or it can get fancy with UV-lighted sheets, light traps, and moth bait. “Mothing” can be done close to home, in the backyard, or further afield, in unique habitats free from the glow of city lights.
Regardless of the observation method, your participation in the MMP helps increase our collective understanding of this little-studied animal taxon in the Treasure state.
To increase the research value of your photographic observations, please submit in-focus “macro” photographs of your moths. In addition, please include the GPS coordinates and elevation at which you observe a moth/s as well as any relevant botanical information, e.g. the trees, shrubs, and flowering plants present at the site of your observation. Finally, it’s often helpful to note a moth’s behavior, relative abundance (how many individuals of the same taxa you observe at the time of your observation), and the time of day. We will eventually submit all records to the Montana Heritage Program’s database.
Learn more moth-watching tricks and techniques (including photography tips) at: www.montanamothproject.org & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZp82-SI7HX4bGEVunKqipw
We are also happy to answer your questions and provide additional details to help you get started on your “mothing’” adventures. Please email inquiries to info@nrres.org.
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