A silk moth rests with its wings open.


Wings brush my cheek. Tiny feet tangle in my hair. I close my eyes to protect them as a small body slams into my face. T en I open them just a slit. A shiver runs through me when I see what else is coming at me. I’m not scared, though. I’m thrilled. I’m on top of a mountain just aſt er dark.


A sheet stretches between two trees. Lights make the sheet glow an eerie blue. Moths fl ock to the light. T ey dart this way and that. Stout hawk moths fl y in like whirring fighter jets. I duck to get out of their way. Soon, thousands of moths cover the sheet. Some are smaller than peas. Others


are as big as this magazine. Some have glittery, colorful wings. T is is exactly what I’ve come to see. I’m a biologist and photographer. I’m out to prove something to people who think moths are drab and spooky. T ey aren’t. T ey’re fascinating.


4 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTREME EXPLORER


Fly By Night Here’s one reason I love moths. Moths are related to butterfl ies. Unlike butterfl ies, though, most moths fl y at night. In the dark, moths seem more like shadows than their brighter cousins. Shine a light on them, though. You’ll discover their hidden beauty and what makes them diff erent. Take their heads. Like butterfl ies, moths


have antennae. Butterfl y antennae look like thin wires with knobs on the tips. Many moths have wiry antennae without knobs. T e coolest ones, though, look like they have feathers sprouting from their heads. Wings also help me tell moths and


butterfl ies apart. When I find one that’s resting, I look at how it holds its wings. Snoozing butterfl ies close them and hold them upright. Many moths rest with their wings open or folded over their bodies.


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