You are here

Mammoth Cave's Moth Collection

Share

Mamolunamoth_copy_1      Mammoth Cave National Park is best known for, well, its cave. But it also has a pretty amazing variety of lepidoptera, which you and I know as butterflies and moths.
     This weekend you can learn more about the park's lepidoptera, and actually help the world learn a little bit more about the fluttery creatures, by participating in the second year of an ongoing study of the park's moths and butterflies.
    The studies are being led by Dr. Jeffrey Marcus of Western Kentucky University and Dr. Kurt Helf of the park's Science and Resources Management Division.
    This Saturday, July 8th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Dr. Marcus will lead a free butterfly walk down along the River Styx Spring Trail to the Green River. While Dr. Marcus will be available to discuss the various species that are spotted, he also will be working to capture, and then release, individuals for identification. If you'd like to join the trek, meet at the pavilion in front of the park's visitors center.
    Saturday night, from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Dr. Marcus will erect a mercury vapor lamp and a white sheet to attract moths at the Maple Springs research facility just north of the Green River Ferry. Any moths that show up will again be captured temporarily for identification and then released.
    Last year's efforts identified one previously unknown species of moth, two moth species known to exist in only one other area of Kentucky, and a population of Olympia Marble, a rare butterfly species.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.