2024 Mothapalooza

Schedule of Events

Amorpha juglandis by Chelsea Gottfried

Return to Home

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2024

9:30 AM - 6:30 PM - Please Check in at the Forest Museum

Please stop by the Appalachian Forest Museum at the Sanctuary to pick up your name tag for the weekend and check in with our office staff to make sure you have all of your necessary directions. Check in is open from 9:30am to 6:30 pm. All reference materials you will need for the event will be emailed to you ahead of time, but if you forget to bring them with you, have no fear! We will have extras on hand. You are also welcome to come early in the day if you are able so that you can enjoy some quiet hiking on the Sanctuary’s 16 miles trails. Office Managers, Seth Oglesby and Kayla Rankin, will be happy to make recommendations and provide you with a map of the Sanctuary’s trails.

FRIDAY FIELD TRIPS:

2:00 PM - Rocky Fork Creek Aquatic Exploration at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary
Any visit to the Sanctuary is incomplete without a deep immersion into the Rocky Fork Creek and its associated deep dolomite gorge. Not only is the scenery stunning - with its dolomite bluffs, vertical cliffs, springs, seeps, slump blocks, and grottos - but the waters are richly abundant with all kinds of colorful fish and fascinating invertebrates.  We will be taking the breathtakingly beautiful Etawah Woods Trail down to the Rocky Fork Gorge below the Museum and then splashing right into the creek, armed with seines and buckets! Note:. Wear shoes or sandals you can wade in and clothes you don't mind getting wet. Trail Length: 1/2 mile. Moderately easy trail walking (includes a long stairway into the gorge). Stream bottom is rocky and uneven.

FOR PEOPLE NEW TO MOTHING AND/OR NEW TO THE HIGHLANDS NATURE SANCTUARY:

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM OPTIONAL - An Arc of Light for Wildlands Preservation in Ohio - The Story of the Arc. If you are new to Arc of Appalachia & the Sanctuary, learn about the Arc and its wildlands preservation work in the Appalachian counties of southern Ohio. This presentation will help you make the most of your visit to the Highlands Nature Sanctuary as you discover its remarkable natural history, trails, and nearby attractions. Location to be announced. Presented by Nancy Stranahan, Director, Arc of Appalachia.

2:15 PM – 2:45 PM OPTIONAL - Mothing for Beginners – 20 Moths Worth Learning! If you are new to the world of mothing, here is a chance to see 20 of some of the most common moths you will see over the weekend. These moths will likely be found at almost every lighting station you come to, and learning them will be an anchor for you as you behold the dazzling and often overwhelming diversity of moths presented to you this weekend. Location to be announced.

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM OPTIONAL – Tools & Technology for Identifying Moths. Meet at the Appalachian Forest Museum where we will split up into small groups and practice using our cell phones to identify moths and caterpillars that we find outdoors and close to the Museum. Please be sure to download on your phone 1) iNaturalist, 2) Seek by iNaturalist, and 3) LEPS by Fieldguide. We will also show you how to confirm the identification of confusing moths on your computer through helpful online resources.

FRIDAY EVENING

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Friday 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.

Opening Introductions & 2024’s featured moth: This year we will be showcasing the Dot-lined White Moth, Artace cribarius, the beauty and natural history of which will be highlighted this year and featured in an original painting by artist, Ann Geise. We will also be resurrecting our Mothapalooza “On their Shoulders” tribute that acknowledges the immense contributions of brilliant scientists and artists of earlier times who have furthered our understanding of the ecology of insects. This year we are honoring Maria Sibylla Merian, 1647-1717, who untangled and promoted the secrets of metamorphosis.

The Magical Relationship Between Moths & Plants
Keynote Speaker: Kelly Capuzzi
More than any other field of nature study, learning about moths brings one’s love of wildlife and one’s love of plants into satisfying confluence. The more one learns about native plants, the more one appreciates the diversity of moth and butterfly caterpillars that feed on them. The opposite is equally true in that each field opens a window to the other, and further expands to associated skills and hobbies such as gardening with natives, habitat restoration, and rearing caterpillars without cages. This evening program will explore the relationships between plants and Leps, while simultaneously sharing outstanding photography - showcasing the works of some of the finest photographic artists in Ohio and beyond.

10:00 pm LIGHTS ON! A NIGHT OF MOTHING BEGINS

SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2024

8:30 am – 10:00 am Saturday Brunch at the Appalachian Forest Museum

10:00 am - 12:00 pm Sam Jaffe’s Caterpillar Lab, exclusively for Mothapalooza Registrants. See live caterpillars munching on their host plants in the Appalachian Forest Museum

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Discovery Field Trips, led by Expert Researchers & Naturalists. Meet directly at the trailhead. Closer to the event, you will be given all field trip options and assigned to one of your preferred trips.

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Sam Jaffe’s Caterpillar Lab – Public Open House

5:30 pm or 6:15pm Dinner at the Appalachian Forest Museum. To accommodate our limited parking and seating space, you will be assigned one of two dinner shifts. Please depart from the premises when you finish eating to make space for others.

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.

Moths of the World - a Planetary Perspective.
Presentation by Andrei Sourakov, Keynote Speaker

Because of Andrei Sourakov’s unique biography, he has had a remarkable opportunity to study the ecological relationships of moths and their species distribution on the world stage, leading to his capable authorship of the 2022 highly illustrated and very readable book, “The Lives of Moths.” His understanding of moth’s evolutionary kinships and the intimate connection between moths and their geography, biomes, and host plant distribution - is unusually deep. During this evening program, we will be gifted with the sights and stories of some of the most fascinating and mesmerizingly beautiful moths on the planet, some of which are closely related to moths we will be seeing this weekend at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. This program will be

structured by biomes - studying the moths that carry the signature of their various home communities - whether that be desert, meadows, temperate hardwood forests, coniferous forests, or rainforests. We will even learn the ecology of moth caterpillars who find their larval food in the water of streams, sloth fur, wasp nests, and bird tears! Prepare yourself to be astonished, not only by the content of this evening’s program, but by the gorgeous photos taken by Andrei and his colleagues.

Keynote Speaker, Andrei Sourakov, received his doctorate in 1997 from the University of Florida, conducted field work throughout the world, and was one of the founding staff members of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, where he continues to serve as a Collections Coordinator. The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, built in 2004 on the University of Florida campus, represents the largest collections-based research and education center in the world focused exclusively on butterflies and moths.

10:00 pm LIGHTS ON! THE SECOND NIGHT OF MOTHING BEGINS

SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024

8:30 am – 10:00 am Brunch at the Appalachian Forest Museum

CATERPILLAR LAB with Sam Jaffe. Linger after breakfast for a chance to enjoy the learning opportunities offered by Sam and his intriguing caterpillar stories told with the assistance of living caterpillars.