Small brown moth, Kirindy Reserve, Colombia

Here we go, our first LepiLED session in Madagascar!

Some background: last year (2018) we got truly hooked to photographing moths in remote locations in Colombia. We had spectacular results in quantity, diversity and beauty:

• Moths of Colombia - 2018

This year we wanted to continue mothing on this year's trip destination: Madagascar. Yet due to electriciy being flaky there, we crafted a mobile solution to attract moths that we can set up anywhere. It consists of lightweight poles each consisting of 4 sections, so that they fit in lugguage. Two such poles hold up a bedsheet, the poles are kept standing by spanning wires, securing them to the ground. A 3rd pole stands behind the middle of the sheet and contains a hook from where we hang down the light. The light is a product called LepiLED, it emits UV light or mixed light (UV, green and white) depending on which mode you use. It is powered by a power bank.

At our 2nd night in Kirindy we did our first run in the wild. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that July really is not a great month for insects in general in Madagascar, it being winter. The first run was disappointing with only a small amount of moths, almost all tiny, and none in particular very unusual or attractive.

A poor start but a reality we had to deal with. So we just had to take it one moth at a time and appreciate each and every one. Luckily, sessions a little later in our journey did give somewhat better results so this start really is the low point :)