While other nature lovers might go bird watching, David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie go mothing, with a sheet and a lamp to attract the bugs. Here, they share their vast knowledge in the most comprehensive guide to moths on the market.
There are more than 1500 species of moths in the northeast of North America, and while it might seem that they are all drab grays and browns, there is actually a startling variety. Many have swirls and swaths of pinks, yellows, and violets. There are moths with colorful leopardlike spots, and ones that look more like B-movie aliens than the moths we try to keep out of our closets.
With helpful tips on how to set up a moth trap, range maps, and graphs showing when each species is in flight, as well as photographs that have been silhouetted and arranged onto plates for easy comparison, this guide provides everything an amateur or experienced moth-watcher needs.
David Beadle grew up in Kent, England, where he had no interest in the natural world until he was gripped by an obsession with birds in his late teens. It was while working at a bird observatory that David became interested in moths, an interest that soon grew to an all-consuming passion. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and son, and he has photographed more than 2000 species of moths in that province alone. In addition to his work with moths, David has contributed to over thirty books and countless journals, including New World Warblers and A Field Guide to the Birds of Chile.
Seabrooke Leckie is a biologist and naturalist, writer and photographer, but most of all a lover of nature. She holds a B.Sc.H. in Zoology and has worked on field research contracts in many parts of the continent, from California to Quebec, British Columbia to Ohio, as well as her home province of Ontario. She discovered moths quite by accident one summer while away on contract, and they've since become her number one passion. Birds are her second interest; she is a federally licensed bird bander and volunteers each summer with a local bird research organization. She lives in rural eastern Ontario with her man, two dogs and three cats. Most afternoons you can find her outdoors, peering closely at flora and fauna, camera in hand.