Welcome to the Dark Side - Discovering Moths

Join naturalist Dave Small for an introduction to attracting and watching moths in your backyard. Discover the native plants you can introduce to your landscape to attract a wide variety of butterflies and moths. Learn how to use lights and bait to attract moths for viewing and get a glimpse of some of the moths you might encounter on a warm summer evening. Dave presented a dazzling array of moths and explained the basics of how we can attract them to visit us at night. and observe them more carefully.

Dave is the Director of Conservation at Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust, leading a team of land protection specialists in fulfilling the mission of Mount Grace in protecting our open spaces. Dave retired in 2013 after 35 years with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he served as Assistant Regional Director at the DCR Quabbin Reservoir. His dedication to conservation and natural history continues as he leads a team tasked with protecting the landscapes he loves.

This webinar presentation was originally given on December 4, 2025 as part of the Newton Conservators Fall 2025 Webinar Series hosted by Beth Wilkinson. Barbara Bates provided technical support and Ted Kuklinski was the video editor.

If you are a member of Newton Conservators, thank you for your support, which makes projects like our webinars possible. If you are not a member, we’d love to have you join us: New members receive a copy of Newton Conservators’ Walking Trails in Newton’s Park and Conservation Lands. To learn more about Newton Conservators and our free events please visit our website at https://newtonconservators.org.

Follow-up Information:

During his webinar, Dave said that he starts with iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org /home) for all of his moth identification and that it is valuable not only because of the app’s accuracy for most identifications (at least to the species level) but also because of the array of experts who will provide more identification info if needed.. In addition, Dave shared some of his favorite sources for moth information.

Mass Moths: https://massmoths.org/
Moth Photographers Group: https://mothphotographersgroup.msstat...
The Caterpillar Lab: https://www.thecaterpillarlab.org
Athol Bird and Nature Club: https://atholbirdclub.org/

Dave warned us that because many moth (and other) field guides do not survive through many editions, we may have to look for second-hand editions for some. The two he most recommends are:
Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America - David Beadle & Seabrooke Leckie
Caterpillars of Eastern North America - David L Wagner

Recently, Dave visited the Harvard lab of Dr. Avalon C. S. Owens and learned more about the dangers that light pollution poses to moths and ways that they seem to be evolving in response to the artificial light to which they are exposed. He recommends seeking more information about the work done in her lab (https://www.rowland.harvard.edu/direc.... In addition, some of you may remember the “Floodlights and Fireflies” webinar that Dr. Owns presented for
Newton Conservators in November 2024 at (   • Floodlights and Fireflies:  Environmental ...  ).

Dave has agreed to answer additional questions you may have, and you may send them to him through us at webinars@newtonconservators.org.