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Showing posts from March, 2021

Bayside light sheet survey: beautiful moths dazzle onlookers in suburban bushland

I had the best experience on Saturday night! Bayside Creeks Catchment Group held a nocturnal foray into Melaleuca Environmental Park at Lota to survey moths at a light sheet, and we saw so many interesting creatures! The survey was conducted as part of Brisbane's Big Butterfly Count , a community engagement and citizen science project being run through March to gather butterfly records across the city. Someone had the bright idea to not leave out the nocturnal cousins of butterflies, and to them I am very grateful! The evening was hosted by the friendly Keith Brown from Bayside Creeks Catchment Group, and the participants gathered around the light sheet set-up to hear expert commentary from John Moss and Wes Jenkinson, who both have many years of experience with lepidopterans. For those interested in the set-up, there was a metal frame tied upright with rope and pegs, over which a white sheet was draped. A bracket holding two bulbs was placed over the top, with one side illuminati