By Maddy Gackenbach, Preserve Stewardship Associate
Shortly after I began working for Legacy last spring, I met David Cappaert, a local entomologist, volunteering at a Legacy workday. We immediately bonded over our shared love for insects. I talked his ear off about my interest in moths and the moth night events that I had been attending in the area. And, David told me that he had his own mothing station set-up and had recently started mothing.
To my surprise, I also learned that David was interested in hosting moth night events at Legacy preserves. It was a perfect example of what can happen when volunteers bring their own interests, knowledge, and expertise to Legacy.
In June last year, David and I went mothing together for the first time at Iron Creek Preserve. After, we decided we should get an official event on the books and hosted our first moth night event at Lloyd and Mabel Johnson Preserve in August of last year.
It was such a great success, this summer, Legacy hosted three more moth night events led by David. It was another example of a volunteer choosing their own adventure–and Legacy providing the space for that expertise to benefit our community.
Spread out over May, June, and July and held at three Legacy Preserves–Sharon Hills, Iron Creek, and Johnson–each event was well-attended by enthusiastic participants, many of who had never experienced mothing before!
One family that attended the Sharon Hills event told me, “I think this is the highlight of our trip!”
Comments like this captured what made the evening so special. David wasn’t just teaching people about moths. He was helping people experience a familiar landscape in an entirely new way.
Seeing people’s faces light up with curiosity as they experienced something totally new to them was truly special. To become fully immersed in nature at night is such a unique opportunity and I’m so glad our moth night events provided that experience.
Each preserve had a wide array of nocturnal visitors during our events, providing a new and exciting experience each time. After having the sheet set up at Sharon Hills Preserve for just two hours, we documented over 45 species of moths from 14 different families –that’s an incredible amount of diversity!
The difference was striking when I tried mothing at my house the very next night. In a residential neighborhood, even with six hours of observation, I documented less than half as many species. While one evening of mothing isn’t a scientific comparison of the two locations, it offered a vivid reminder of what protected natural areas can provide: diverse habitat, native plants, and the ecological conditions that allow a wide variety of species to thrive.
The diversity we saw during these events at our preserves is one small glimpse of what our stewardship makes possible.
Not only did David’s moth nights offer participants the unique chance to experience nature after dark, but they also gave a perfect example of what can happen when a volunteer is passionate about sharing their knowledge with others.
Legacy’s preserves provide endless opportunities for discovery and learning. They provide a place for volunteers to share their passion and expertise, introduce others to something new, and help us begin to understand the importance of the lands we work tirelessly to protect.
Expertise takes many forms–you don’t have to be a professional to get involved! Do you have an enthusiasm for nature, photography, art, or history? Or maybe a knack for plant, bird, or fungi identification? Regardless of your area of interest, if you have knowledge and passion you’d like to share then we would love to hear from you.
You could give the gift of helping someone discover something that excites them, while helping Legacy steward and protect these special lands for generations to come.
