Credit: Vaughn Fritts
Armed with flashlights, bug head nets and mosquito repellent, 25 insect enthusiasts ventured into the dark, muggy woods of Buttercup Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Stanfordville last week. Their mission: to uncover the hidden world of nocturnal pollinators.
Held on Saturday, Aug. 3, the second annual Moth Night was a twilight event hosted by the Dutchess Land Conservancy that drew citizen scientists and nature lovers eager to explore the role of moths in the ecosystem. Guided by lepidopterist Matthew Rymkiewicz, participants embarked on a nocturnal adventure that promised discovery and wonder.
Credit: Mary Jenkins
Julie Hart, DLC director of education, explained the origins of the event: “Matthew was a volunteer at some of our science programs, and one day he asked what we were doing for National Moth Week. I had to admit we had no idea there was such a thing. Turns out it’s an annual celebration the last week of July.”
Impressed by his enthusiasm and knowledge of moths, DLC gave Rymkiewicz the green light to develop and direct the inaugural Moth Night last year. The response was overwhelming: The event, held at the Town of Stanford’s Whitlock Preserve, quickly sold out. DLC scrambled to add a second venue the subsequent week at Pine Plains’ Thompson Pond Preserve. An estimated 60 moth devotees attended the two events.
Milan resident Rymkiewicz, an IT manager by day, has been captivated by insects since high school. “I was forced to take zoology as a junior, and was given an assignment to collect bugs,” he said. “I fell in love with beetles, and the rest is history!”
Credit: Mary Jenkins
The middle-aged lepidopterist (one who studies moths and butterfly families) told the Herald that investigating nighttime pollinators makes him feel like a teenager again. “I want to learn more, and share the wonders of the natural world with like-minded people who indulge their curiosity,” he said.
Rymkiewicz has discovered, photographed and cataloged over 200 species of moths in his backyard alone, many of which are unlisted in the Butterflies and Moths of North America database, which reports a total of 170 species in Dutchess County.
“I’m loath to call myself a moth expert,” he said. “There are schooled entomologists who have much more field knowledge and technical expertise than me.”
The lepidopterist worries that the public is misinformed about moths. “They are often considered to be pests,” he told the Herald. “People just think about the pasta or spongy varieties. They forget that moths are important pollinators of night-blooming flowers, like primrose and lilacs. Ninety-nine percent of moths are nocturnal. If you find one during the day, it’s probably resting.”
According to Rymkiewicz, moths outnumber butterflies by 10 to one. “You can tell the difference between the two by their antennae: The tips of butterfly antennae are clubbed,” he said.
Moth markings are often more elaborate and complex than butterflies. “You may consider butterflies more colorful, but that’s somewhat inaccurate,” Rymkiewicz quipped, pointing to his graphic T-shirt depicting a rosy maple moth — a stunning raspberry-lemon sherbet-hued insect. “We won’t bump into these tonight though, June is the best time to spot them.”
To attract moths to the event for easy viewing, Rymkiewicz set up two forest stations. He constructed large panels from white fabric stretched over PVC pipe frames, rigged from behind with black lights to entice insects.
Credit: Vaughn Fritts
“It has been a mystery for years as to exactly why moths are attracted to light,” said Rymkiewicz. The latest theory, published in the January 2024 issue of Nature, suggests that moths instinctively twist their backs toward the brightest objects in the sky — usually the moon — to differentiate between up and down. Artificial lights, the study claims, confuse the moths, trapping them in a disorienting orbit.
Rymkiewicz was undaunted by the night’s hot and sticky weather. “Moths love this type of humidity,” he said. “The more, the better.” As the evening unfolded, attendees gathered around Rymkiewicz, showing him cellphone photos of moths they had encountered. Each insect was met with enthusiasm and expert identification. “That’s a sphinx moth,” Rymkiewicz exclaimed at one point. “What a tomato!”
By 8:30 the panels were covered with a variety of insects, including mayflies, leafhoppers, gnats and a few brown moths, called common grass-veneers. “The wee ones come first,” Rymkiewicz said. “As it gets darker, we should see bigger moths, maybe even a promethea silkmoth — they hang out in the buttonbushes by the stream.”
The event concluded by 10:30. At least seven varieties of moth species had been successfully observed and photographed, including the ailanthus webworm, a bent-line carpet, a small mossy glyph and an azalea sphinx.
“I could have stayed there past midnight nerding out on these insects, but Julie and my wife were waiting patiently,” said Rymkiewicz. “Really, every night during Moth Week is as if it’s Christmas morning.”
I was so excited to read about the moths. Thank you for sharing. I feel the same way about spiders. ❤️🥹
I am researching my Rowe/Rau/Rauh ancestry in the Pine Plains area. They arrived from Germany in 1710 and settled in the Shekomeko area.John Rowe/Rau was called Moravian John Rowe because he was a supporter of the Moravian Mission.