Join us for our fourth annual Moth Night, part of the citizen-science project called National Moth Week, and organized by A Way to Garden and Friends of Taconic State Park. BYO picnic supper if you please — we’ll provide dessert treats — to enjoy while you learn Moth 101 from top experts, then experience nature after dark with them and just have fun.

Note: This is a free event, but if you wish to donate to the Friends of Taconic State Park to help us offer honoraria to more experts to lead more nature programs like this one, there is an extra button for that! Thanks.

Brigette Zacharczenko, a PhD UConn-Storrs entomologist, and Dylan Cipkowski, who has been surveying the moths of Columbia County NY as part of his field work with nearby Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program, will lead our event, which is appropriate for all ages.

This year’s extra-special event starts at 7:00 at the Copake Iron Works, 33 Valley View Road, Copake Falls. Margaret Roach will moderate a fun Moth 101 Q&A with Brigette and Dylan — learn what role moths play in the world, and about their life cycle and more — and we hope you’ll join in with your questions, too.

Next, we’ll have live specimens to examine from overnight traps set the night before to examine before dark.

At nightfall we head into the woods along a trail, where we will have set up special blacklight stations to lure and then view the night’s visitors. For those not wishing to walk the trail, there will be lights set up by the parking area as well, very easily accessible.

Come for the 101 talk alone or stay for the after-dark adventure, too. Wait till you see what we discover together!

NOTE: Picnic tables will be set up, so BYO supper if you like. Delicious dessert-like treats baked by David Wurth of CrossRoads Food Shop in Hillsdale will be provided, courtesy of Margaret at A Way to Garden.