Danae Wolfe is an award-winning conservation photographer, writer, educator, and TEDx speaker focused on fostering appreciation and stewardship of backyard bugs and wildlife. Ever the pragmatic, she believes that everyone has the power to make a difference in combating climate change and biodiversity loss. Through her community conservation initiative, Chasing Bugs, she has reached global audiences with science-based education about the importance of gardening for biodiversity and has inspired gardeners to appreciate the beauty of our natural world and embrace their role in its protection. Danae’s new book, Grass Isn’t Greener, will be published by Timber Press in May 2025.

Samuel Jaffe is a New England-based naturalist, photographer, and educator who has been working with native insects since a very early age.  Sam grew up in Eastern Massachusetts chasing birds, mucking through ponds, and turning over leaves.  For the last seven years he has been photographing caterpillars and organizing programs to promote these special creatures to the public.  In 2013 he founded "The Caterpillar Lab" in Keene NH and he now travels across the country working with museums, nature centers, schools, and individual teachers helping native insects find their place in our everyday lives.  When he is not behind the camera or tending his zoo of caterpillars, you can invariably find Sam up to his waist in vegetation.

SATURDAY, July 19

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Saturday Evening Presentations at the Paxton Theater – be sure to arrive no later than 6:45 pm to provide plenty of time for parking and walking to the theater.

State of the Arc - Nancy Stranahan, Director of Arc of Appalachia, will give a short program about this year’s sowing of MAJOR land acquisitions that, collectively, make up - BY FAR - the largest land campaign the Arc of Appalachia has ever attempted, including a nationally significant project in West Virginia and dozens of projects in Appalachian Ohio.

Wandering Lepidoptera: Can storytelling through film help illuminate insights into caterpillar perception and suggest strategies for reanimating urban life?

Presentation by Emma Jonas & Mary Posatko

Have you ever imagined life from a caterpillar’s perspective? They face a perilous journey during their wandering and pupation phases. Both of which are critically dependent on the quality of their immediate environment. Picture a caterpillar “doing the worm” across a comparatively large desert of concrete with no refuge in sight. Restoration of habitat after urban development is crucial to their survival. By understanding how caterpillars perceive and interact with their surroundings, we gain insight into their habitat requirements at each stage. During this presentation, we will introduce and discuss an upcoming documentary: The Wandering Lepidoptera, which provides a glimpse into their reality. This project is an ongoing collaboration between Mary Posatko, Dr. Doug Tallamy, and Emma Jonas and is currently seeking funding. The film invites viewers to shrink to caterpillar size and experience the world through six pairs of eyes as researchers explain caterpillar navigation of hostile residential landscapes, with the intention of creating empathy in the viewer, followed by perspective and behavioral changes around landscaping behavior.  Social acceptance of ecological landscaping must be cultivated, and by reimagining these spaces, we can all contribute to mending the biodiversity crisis.

The research in this presentation was conducted on the ancestral territory of the Lenape People. Southern Ohio, the location of Mothapalooza, is the traditional homeland of the Shawnee and other Indigenous nations.  We acknowledge their forced removal and express profound respect for their land stewardship practices, which have maintained ecosystem stability and diversity for generations.

Sam Jaffe, Founder and Director of The Caterpillar Lab

Sam Jaffe is the world’s most effective advocate for moths - the result of his combined skills as an advanced researcher, riveting educator, and sublime photographic artist. In 2013, Sam founded The Caterpillar Lab, a non-profit educational pursuit in Marlborough, NH. From this hub, he travels across the country bringing the “Cat Lab” to universities, museums, botanical gardens, nature centers, and schools and sharing insect stories and nourishing public appreciation. He is also writing and photographing a very in-depth book on the identification and natural history of native caterpillars. Sam gives deep attention, most days of the year, to observing, recording, and interpreting his often singular observations of the magical world of caterpillars. Tonight he will be sharing his latest discoveries with us.

Emma Jonas found her way to Lepidopterology while studying moths as prey resources for owls during her undergraduate degree. As a proud “crazy cat(erpillar) lady” she specializes in pupation behavior and physiology of burrowing species. Having recently completed her master’s degree in Entomology at the University of Delaware, Emma is devoted to science communication and environmental justice. Her work aims to dissolve anthropogenic boundaries by reviving the use of native plants as habitat and food sources for both humans and non-human species. She uses research and advocacy to bridge the gap between academic knowledge, and practical, equity-focused community action.

Mary Posatko is an LA-based filmmaker and professor originally from Delaware. Mary has directed and produced award-winning films including TARGET ZERO, ALL FALL DOWN, and AIN’T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH:  A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM.  Her most recent documentary, IN A WINTRY SEASON, had its world premiere at the Krakow Film Festival in May, 2024.

Mary’s films have been screened theatrically and in US and international film festivals including SXSW, CPH:DOX, Maryland, Nashville, IDFA, and Gothenburg.  She is an alumna of IFP Spotlight on Documentaries, Good Pitch, and the Chicken & Egg Labs, and her films have received support from the San Diego State University Research Foundation, the IDA Pare Lorentz Award, Chicken & Egg, the San Francisco Film Society, and the Abell Foundation, among others.

Mary moved to Los Angeles as an Americorps volunteer, working as a homeless intake counselor on LA’s Skid Row, before becoming a producer on KCRW and PRI’s TO THE POINT, WHICH WAY, LA?, and KCRW’s beloved GOOD FOOD. She received her BA in history from Brown University and her MFA from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. She is currently an Assistant Professor and the head of documentary film at San Diego State University.