Moths of the Night
Join us for “Moths of the Night” as we explore Ohio’s nocturnal moths. Moths are incredible creatures! Of Ohio’s more than 3000 moth species, most are nocturnal. Some special guest speakers will share their knowledge and love of moths with us. We’ll learn about the value of moths as pollinators, food for other animals and as indicator species for ecosystem health. There will be fun moth crafts for the kids to make and take home. We hope you’ll be like moths drawn to a flame and join us for a day of moth exploration.
Moths of the Night 2025 Speakers:
Danae Wolfe, Night Vision: Finding Awe, Beauty, and Purpose in the Dark
Step outside on a summer night, and moths are everywhere—fluttering around porch lights, clinging to tree trunks, drifting through the glow of the moon. But how often do we truly see them? In this visually rich and reflective talk, conservation photographer and author Danae Wolfe invites us to slow down and reimagine the way we look at the natural world. Through intimate macro portraits of moths and other nighttime insects, she reveals how the simple act of noticing can open the door to deeper care, understanding, and even transformation. This isn’t just about photography—it’s about reclaiming our sense of wonder. About noticing what most people overlook. And about learning how small creatures, like moths, play mighty roles in our ecosystems. Whether you’re a lifelong moth-er or simply curious about the overlooked lives just beyond the porch light, this talk will inspire you to look closer, fall in love with the night, and reimagine your own patch of earth as a place of wild possibility.
Danae will have her new book “Grass Isn’t Greener Book” available for purchase.
Danae Wolfe Bio
Danae Wolfe is an award-winning conservation photographer, writer, educator, and TEDx speaker focused on fostering appreciation and stewardship of backyard bugs and wildlife. Ever the pragmatic, she believes that everyone has the power to make a difference in combatting climate change and biodiversity loss. Through her community conservation initiative, Chasing Bugs, she has reached global audiences with science-based education about the importance of gardening for biodiversity and has inspired gardeners to appreciate the beauty of our natural world and embrace their role in its protection. Wolfe’s best-selling new book, Grass Isn’t Greener, outlines pragmatic ways to practice conservation from your own backyard.
Chelsea Gottfried, Mysterious Moths
Though seldom seen due to their nocturnal nature, moths are every bit as beautiful and charismatic as their butterfly cousins. Their role as pollinators is essential to the survival of many of our plants, especially orchids. Most importantly, moths and their caterpillars are food for birds, bats, and countless other animals. We will take a photographic journey into the intriguing world of moths, exploring which of our native plants are most enticing to these lovely Lepidopterans. We can all greatly benefit the ecosystem around us by “moth gardening” in our yards!
Chelsea will have her book “Gardening for Moths: A Regional Guide” available for purchase.
Chelsea Gottfried Bio
Chelsea Gottfried works as a naturalist and nature preschool teacher in Crawford County, Ohio. In 2020, she started Forest Friends, a nature-based preschool where young children have the opportunity to learn, grow, and discover in a nature setting rather than in a traditional classroom. Chelsea graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2007, studying early childhood education, biology, and psychology. She is a self-taught entomologist whose areas of expertise are native bees, moths, dragonflies, and damselflies. However, robber flies, bee flies, flower flies, and mantidflies are the six-legged creatures she finds the most fascinating. Chelsea’s passions include native plant gardening (she is currently converting her three-acre lawn to a pollinator prairie) and nature macrophotography. Exploring nature to discover and photograph insect and wildflower species new to an area is one of her greatest joys. Her first book Gardening for Moths: A Regional Guide , which she co-authored with Jim McCormac, was released in February 2023 and features many of her photos. Chelsea has assisted with Ohio’s recent dragonfly and bee surveys. Currently, she serves as president of the Ohio Odonata Society.
Lucy Guarnieri Bio
Lucy graduated from the University of Maine in 2019 witha B.S. in Biology and a minor in Spanish. She developed aninterest in applied entomology while spending twosummers working for the Maine Department of Agriculture,where she conducted invasive insect surveys on smallfarms and plant nurseries. Lucy’s graduate research willexplore how different types of insects use urban habitatsand how urban green space can be managed to providethe greatest benefits for humans and wildlife. She iscurrently developing a moth survey in the Columbus MetroParks to demonstrate the importance of urban green spacefor moth conservation.
