Mysterious Moths | Gardening and Exploration
Description
Join naturalists and moth experts, Chelsea Gottfried and Jim McCormac, for an enchanting journey into the world of mysterious moths. Though seldom seen due to their nocturnal nature, moths are every bit as beautiful and charismatic as their butterfly cousins. Their role as pollinators is essential to the survival of many of our plants. Most importantly, moths and their caterpillars are food for birds, bats, and countless other animals.

We will take a photographic journey into the intriguing world of moths, exploring which of our native plants are most enticing to these lovely Lepidopterans. We can all greatly benefit the ecosystem around us by "moth gardening" in our yards. Stay afterwards for a magical night of mothing! Weather permitting, we will have some light stations set up to see which moth species call Stratford Ecological Center home!

7pm - 8pm | Gardening for Moths led Chelsea Gottfried
8pm - 10pm | Mothing Exploration led by Chelsea Gottfriend and Jim McCormac

About our experts:

Chelsea Gottfried is a naturalist, passionate entomologist and educator from Crawford County, Ohio. In 2020, she founded Forest Friends, a nature-based preschool, where children learn and explore in nature. An avid native plant gardener and a passionate entomologist, Chelsea’s areas of expertise include moths, bees, dragonflies, and damselflies. She enjoys capturing up-close images of insects and flowers using macrophotography. Her first book, Gardening for Moths: A Regional Guide, which she co-authored with Jim McCormac, was released in 2023 and features many of her photographs.

Jim McCormac worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects for the Division of Wildlife. He has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine 2004), and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage (Kent State University Press 2009). The latter won the 2010 Ohioanna Book Award. He is a coauthor of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II book. Jim writes a column for the Columbus Dispatch, and regularly publishes a natural history blog. He has written numerous articles in a variety of publications and has delivered hundreds of presentations throughout the Eastern United States. He was named the 2015 Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Ohio League of Sportsmen. He is an avid photographer of a range of natural history subjects as well as documenting the current status in the natural world.
Dates:
August 17 | 7pm - 10pm
Ages:
Ages 12 and up
Cost:
$25 per Adult, $15 per Child
Availability:
Registration is no longer available