Moths of Oklahoma's Journal

Journal archives for January 2019

January 8, 2019

Moth exhibit at Sam Noble Museum

We're part way through the long, dreary days of winter. We're nestled all snug in our beds with visions of Luna moths dancing in our heads... Fear not! You won't have to wait another 3 months to gaze at some beautiful moths. The Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Norman is hosting an exhibit called "Winged Tapestries: Moths at Large" from January 26 through May 12. I don't know quite what to expect from this exhibit but I am excited about it! I think I am going to try to go on opening day. Who is with me!?!

Posted on January 8, 2019 05:31 PM by zdufran zdufran | 2 comments | Leave a comment

January 22, 2019

An appeal for more common names

I came across this blog post written by a British moth-er, discussing names of moths and how there are few widely known and accepted names for micro moths. I think it's a really good post and an appeal worthy of consideration.

We should be working towards widely-accepted common names for all of our moths. I've certainly thought of a few names that seemed more fitting to me than the one that is currently accepted, and I've also thought of a few names for moths that only have scientific names for now.

Can you think of any good ones?

What are your favorite moths names that already exist?

(I'll throw out there, my mother-in-law, who has attended a few of our moth-ing nights, loves the Festive Midget's name. She also thinks the Diabolical Fungus Moth is a pretty good one.)

Posted on January 22, 2019 02:56 PM by zdufran zdufran | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 31, 2019

First moth memory

Recently I was reading a book called Last Child in the Woods which is all about getting kids outdoors in nature. The author, Richard Louv, talks a lot about his early childhood memories in nature and how formative those moments were for him. This got me to thinking about my own childhood and I decided to sit down and write some of my memories from childhood that took place in nature and the outdoors.

One of these memories is my first moth memory. I would guess that I was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade at the time, perhaps younger. We had a ping pong table on our back porch that folded up in half when not in use and pushed up against the back wall of our house. One year we were pulling out the table to play on it and I found a large deceased moth (which I now know to be a sphinx) between the two panels of the table. I remember holding it and thinking how alien it looked and realizing I had never seen a live moth of this size flying about. I remember either it's antennae or proboscis being very fascinating.

It would be a lie to say that I was forever a lover of moths from that moment. But I do remember that moment very distinctly, as I do several other moments involving various insects and other creatures I discovered in my backyard. I hope that my own kiddos have very positive memories in nature as they grow older.

What is your first moth memory?

Posted on January 31, 2019 10:33 PM by zdufran zdufran | 0 comments | Leave a comment