In this evening event at Orchard Ridge Farm, we’ll explore the world of nocturnal Lepidoptera—moths.

Some of the most beautiful, fascinating, and ephemeral creatures with which we share the landscape go completely unnoticed as they are largely nocturnal. They are mostly silent—to our ears, anyway. They live their life cycles (with a few notable exceptions!) without leaving obvious traces of their whereabouts. In this evening event at Orchard Ridge Farm, we’ll explore the world of nocturnal Lepidoptera—moths.

During the flight season of the giant silkmoths (Saturniidae), we’ll string up a large white sheet and illuminate it with a 250W mercury vapor lamp. With any luck, we’ll draw in a few specimens from the surrounding woods and fields for the rare opportunity to closely observe these gorgeous critters.

Peak biodiversity occurs later at night, all the moths in our event photo were found right next door. If you have any interest at all in Maine’s myriad invertebrates, this is an event not to miss!