Right now, in your backyard and along the roads you traverse every day, dozens and dozens of caterpillars are preparing for the greatest challenge of their lives. They gnaw away at leaves with tiny mandibles, storing energy for one of the most-impressive spectacles of nature: metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis is the process through which a caterpillar uses stored energy to break its body down and reconstruct itself into a new form: a butterfly or moth. Many of us learned about this scientific marvel from books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, or elementary science lessons. Since then, though, we might not have given the phenomenon, or the organisms that experience it, another thought.
At the WVU Core Arboretum’s Moth Night on Thursday, 9 p.m.–11 p.m., the evening will be spent showcasing the beauty of moths while learning more about the winged wonders.
This year’s Moth Night will honor its origins and the event’s inspiration: Sue Olcott, a retired West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (WVDNR) wildlife biologist of nearly 3 decades who passed away earlier this year. She held a passion for appreciating and protecting insects — and animals of all kinds — and a desire to instill that same motivation in other West Virginians.
Back in 2017, Olcott set up a bed sheet and a UV light at the Arboretum, and watched moths of all kinds flock to the area for closer observation. She was filming a short segment for the WVDNR about moths of West Virginia and National Moth Week, an annual collaborative effort by laypeople and scientists alike dedicated to raising awareness about the global decline of moth populations and collecting data on moth distribution.
This interview inspired the Arboretum’s first-ever Moth Night, held that same year.
“I enjoyed watching [the segment] so much, and it was such an interesting and amazing thing to see how many moths came, and how easy it was,” said Arboretum director Zach Fowler. “A big thing that we do at the Arboretum is really try to help people connect with nature in ways that are also scientific, so we said ‘This is the perfect thing — we should really have a public version of this.'”
And for nearly a decade since Olcott’s inspiration, they’ve done exactly that, drawing hundreds of visitors each year — of the human and moth varieties.
Olcott is well-known for her involvement in many local organizations, including the Arboretum, WV Botanic Garden, Mountaineer Audubon and more. She was a lifelong champion of all of Earth’s animals, great and small, and specialized in pollinators, songbirds, bats and more. She especially highlighted species that have gone under-studied and under-appreciated, but play a vital role in their ecosystem, nonetheless.
“If we want the world to be what we want it to be, we have to speak up, take responsibility, take action and face that fear, and say ‘What can we do about it?'” said Olcott in a 2022 interview with The Dominion Post about declining monarch butterfly populations.
By combining fun, educational outreach and community-involved research, Moth Night carries on Olcott’s legacy and aligns perfectly with the Arboretum’s mission.
“Moth Night is perfect for getting people to appreciate and interact with nature that they’re really close to all the time but maybe haven’t noticed, because these moths don’t come from miles around, these are moths of that area that are there every night,” said Fowler. “I want people to be inspired, and have this ability to connect with nature wherever they are.”
Moth Night is a popular opportunity for public outreach due, in part, to the simple and accessible nature of the event. It doesn’t require strenuous activity, expensive supplies or even a terrible amount of patience. All you need is good weather, a white sheet, and a UV light that can be found at any department store, and it can easily be accomplished in your own backyard. This makes it suitable for attendees of all ages and backgrounds, whether you already hold an appreciation for insects or simply want to see what all the buzz is about.
Thursday evening, tarps and UV lights will attract not only moths but insects of all kinds for attendees to marvel at and learn about from experts present for the event, including moth enthusiasts Ryan Tomazin and Tucker Cooley. The WVU Arthropod Museum and Insect Zoo will also be present, with live insects available for viewing and handling, potentially including stick insects and hissing cockroaches, and deceased specimens on display.
The event is free, and attendees can stop by anytime during the event’s hours. Attendees are encouraged to bring a flashlight. Moth Night will be rescheduled if it rains, with updates and more info available at Facebook.com/WVUCoreArboretum.
TWEET @DominionPostWV
