Last night was really quite surreal. More than once, the proverb 'be careful what you wish for' came to mind.
I arrived in the village yesterday evening, and was immediately confronted with the tasks of collecting water, reconnecting my solar panel, repairing damage done to gas pipes that had been chewed through by a mouse, and mitigating emerging political situations within the village. Thanks to the help of my neighbours, I wasn't alone in any of this, but by 9.30pm I was exhausted and ready to lay out my mat to sleep.
However, the world had other ideas.
A large moth with a frantic wingbeat careered by drunkenly, drawn to my reading light, and i glanced down at it. I sat up, put down my book, and switched to autopilot. This was a Cirina butyrospermi moth!
My first reaction was to get my makeshift 'killing jar' (a sealable plastic bag with a wad of acetone-soaked tissue), because we need to collect a few samples for DNA barcoding and identification. However, I quickly corrected myself - some of these moths might not yet have mated, so there's a chance I can collect eggs, let them live out their lifespan, and take them as specimens afterwards.
I got a cage from my bag and began to collect moths to put inside. At first, I used a net. But before long I was grasping them with my hands.
I arrived in the village yesterday evening, and was immediately confronted with the tasks of collecting water, reconnecting my solar panel, repairing damage done to gas pipes that had been chewed through by a mouse, and mitigating emerging political situations within the village. Thanks to the help of my neighbours, I wasn't alone in any of this, but by 9.30pm I was exhausted and ready to lay out my mat to sleep.
However, the world had other ideas.
A large moth with a frantic wingbeat careered by drunkenly, drawn to my reading light, and i glanced down at it. I sat up, put down my book, and switched to autopilot. This was a Cirina butyrospermi moth!
My first reaction was to get my makeshift 'killing jar' (a sealable plastic bag with a wad of acetone-soaked tissue), because we need to collect a few samples for DNA barcoding and identification. However, I quickly corrected myself - some of these moths might not yet have mated, so there's a chance I can collect eggs, let them live out their lifespan, and take them as specimens afterwards.
I got a cage from my bag and began to collect moths to put inside. At first, I used a net. But before long I was grasping them with my hands.
By midnight, I had filled five cages with moths! I decided to stop. I tried to make sure that each cage contained males and females, and between 5-10 individuals. I also put some shea branches in with them, though I'm not sure this is necessary.
However, my nighttime encounters with moths didn't end there. The cages contained female moths, all of which release strong pheromones to attract males. Before long, the space around me was teeming with eager male moths, crashing into every solid object they encountered and beating their wings like metronomes on acid. I wasn't sure what to do, except to sit and watch and wonder.
It's good to be back
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