New Jersey Moths: Building A Moth Library and Other Resources
Images courtesy of David Moskowitz
With the February moth doldrums in full swing right now and virtually nothing on the wing, it is a great time to build a library of moth resources in anticipation of what is to come. There are a number of books and Internet sites that are a must for anyone interested in moths or caterpillars. Let’s start with the books:
Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
In just a few short weeks, although it feels like forever for anyone already interested in moths, the very long-awaited Peterson Field Guide to Moths by Seabrooke Leckie and Dave Beadle will be available. This newest title in the Peterson Field Guide Series is sure to spur an interest in moths the way that the first Bird Field Guide in the Peterson series did for birds in 1934. It really should be that important! Join the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission on May 10th as we welcome Seabrooke Leckie to East Brunswick as part of her book tour and for our first Moth Night of the year. Details can be found on the Friends website at www.friendsebec.com
Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard Caterpillars of Eastern North America Internet Resources Moth Photographers Group BugGuide What’s That Bug Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission and National Moth Week Dave Moskowitz is Senior Vice President with EcolSciences, Inc., President of the Non-Profit Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission and Co-founder of National Moth Week. Consider participating in National Moth Week next summer.
This book is not really a field guide although it does have photos and drawings of lots of moths. But, it is one of the best introductions for both beginners and for those with a more advanced interest in moths. John Himmelman’s writing style is easy to read and very informative. After reading this book, you can’t help but have a new appreciation and possibly an addiction to moths. I pull it out of the bookshelf each spring and reread it cover to cover. It is simply that good.
Dave Wagner’s book on caterpillars is simply one of the coolest insect books to have been published, ever. It includes amazing close-up photos of caterpillars and a wealth of natural history information about each species. The book also has lots of information on caterpillar biology. Get this book! 
Dave Wagner’s newest book written with three other top-notch entomologists, is as amazing as his first book about caterpillars. It focuses on the Owlet moths, a hugely diverse group of moths. It covers more than 800 species and also has stunning close-up photos of each caterpillar and many of the adult moths. It also has an excellent introductory chapter on moth ecology and techniques for raising them. Another absolutely stellar book from Dave Wagner and a must for the moth bookshelf. 
This book, first published in 1903 and written by W.J. Holland, is one of the most classic moth books ever written. Despite outdated scientific nomenclature for many species and poor quality plates, this book still belongs on every “moth’ers” bookshelf. It features a great deal of interesting natural history information as well as many entries and chapters about how to find and attract moths. It is now out of print but can usually be found at used bookstores for about $10 or $15.
A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
For many years Charles Covell’s book was the only true Field Guide to eastern moths. It was out of print for a long time and often very expensive at used book stores until the Virginia Museum of Natural History reprinted it. It suffers from plates that lack consistent quality but is still a reference with a wealth of information about moths and should be a staple in the moth library. Whether the new Beadle\Leckie book makes it largely obsolete remains to be seen. I still frequently pull it off the shelf.
Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths
These three small field guides are a must for any budding entomologist and are a great introduction for children about moths and caterpillars. The little Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths still holds a special place for me as it was one of my first Field Guides as a kid as I trudged through the woods and fields and swamps of Edison. This little Field Guide can be readily found in used bookstores for just a few bucks. Everytime I see one, I buy it, and I give to them to friends and colleagues with an interest in butterflies and moths. It is just a great little easy to use Field Guide.
Jim Arnosky is one of the leading nature writers for children in America and his books featuring the very cool woodland character, Crinkleroot are the perfect introduction for turning children onto nature. Jim was also exceptionally generous in allowing the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission to use Crinkleroot as the spokesperson for the Annual Salamander Migration and National Moth Week. Crinkleroot is perfect for this important role because he “…was born in a tree and raised by bees!”. He can speak caterpillar, moth, and butterfly, all at the same time.”
There are a vast number of excellent Internet Resources about moths, but none compare to Bob Patterson’s Moth Photographers Group. It is a huge online library of incredible moth photographs that simply must be seen to understand just how amazing a resource he has built. It can be found at http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/WalkThroughIndex.shtml
BugGuide is an amazing resource for moths and every other insect there is. BugGuide features a vast number of user-submitted photographs and a searchable database. There is also help with identifications and many other valuable resources, including natural history information about each species. It can be found at http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
What’s That Bug is a vast collection of user-submitted photographs and a searchable database. What’s That Bug will also identify submitted photographs of insects. The site also features a great deal of natural history information about each species. It can be found at http://www.whatsthatbug.com/
The Friends website Moth Night page and the National Moth Week website both have a large number of links to many other moth resources, both in print and online. They can be accessed at:http://www.friendsebec.com/mothnight.htm
http://nationalmothweek.org/resources-test/
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Categories: New Jersey Moths
Tags: peterson field guide moths Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission resources books field guides caterpillars
Lookign forward to meeting Seabrooke in person. She and I are online acquaintances.
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