strangers 1

Strangers at the Door August 2007
We live out in the woods and it gets pretty dark at night so when we go out for the evening, I leave the 40 watt bulb by the front door on to
give us a modicum of illumination when we stumble up the stairs later. One night in early August we returned rather late and I was
struck by the diversity of insects visiting the light so I got out my macro lens and ring flash and began to take pictures of the different
moths and other winged creatures. I do not even qualify as an amateur lepidopterist or etomologist, so I have no idea what most of the
moths, beetles and flies are in this collection, but never the less, it is really amazing to point the lens at a small, dark moth and then see
its wings come alive with leopard spots, bits of emerald or orange in the camera's LED display. I focus most of my attention on plants and
we have quite a few species growing around in our woods, but I have to say that nothing makes me appreciate the biodiversity of my own
backyard like studying the insects that appear at the door at night. This photo gallery is really just the small tip of a very large iceberg.
The insects pictured were photographed here in Woodstock, CT over several nights in August and early September. I will continue to
photograph through the fall and plan to set up a black light next season to capture some of the more elusive moths that flit about in our
woods. I hope you enjoy them and if you happen to know what any of the species are, I would greatly appreciate an email.