Wild Malhar is back! And, what better time than to kickstart National Moth Week between July 22-30, 2023.

National Moth Week celebrates the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths. “Moth-ers” of all ages and abilities are encouraged to learn about, observe, and document moths in their backyards, parks, and neighborhoods. National Moth Week is being held, worldwide, during the last full week of July. NMW offers everyone, everywhere a unique opportunity to become a Citizen Scientist and contribute scientific data about moths. Through partnerships with major online biological data depositories, NMW participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe.*

Why moths?

• Moths are among the most diverse and successful organisms on Earth.
• Scientists estimate there are 150,000 to more than 500,000 moth species.
• Their colors and patterns are either dazzling or so cryptic that they define camouflage. Shapes and sizes span the gamut from as small as pinhead to as large as an adult’s hand.
• Most moths are nocturnal, and need to be sought at night to be seen – others fly like butterflies during the day.
• Finding moths can be as simple as leaving a porch light on and checking it after dark. Serious moth aficionados use special lights and baits to attract them.*

* Source: https://nationalmothweek.org/

To celebrate NMW, Wild Malhar in association with Courtyard Koota is excited to bring you Pritha Dey who will take us through this exciting world of Moths. The event time is between 7 and 9 PM as there is an exciting live exploration post the talk and for moths, the later the better.

Pritha is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore. She completed her Ph.D. from the Wildlife Institute of India and Zoologische Staatssammlung Munich, Germany on the taxonomy and diversity of Geometrid moths in western Himalayan protected areas. Pritha is largely interested in the diversity, distribution, and evolutionary ecology of moths. Apart from science, she shares her experiences through popular articles and public outreach aiming to improve the state of moth research in India. Currently, she is the Country Coordinator for the National Moth Week India chapter. When not looking for moths, Pritha indulges in a good cup of coffee, graphic novels, travel, and occasionally painting.