Sketchy Science
During my tenure at Balcones Canyonlands NWR when I was just starting to (re)learn moths, I spent countless evenings studying critters at a porchlight at the cabin where I stayed for field work. I had no macro lens for my 35mm camera at the time and this was five years before I would start using digital photography. I would collect single examples of each moth, sketch them in my field journal and try to identify them with the available resources of the time such as Hollard’s “Moth Book” and Covell’s Peterson Field Guide. (This predates MPG, BG, iNat, etc.) Today I’m beginning a series of uploads of pages from my field journals of that time period. Some of the notes and sketches are accompanied by specimens (moth wings) taped into the journal. I have reviewed all of my sketches and identifications and updated/upgraded them to the extent that I can at this point, some 16+ years later.
Looking back at the set of sketches and notes--some of which went unidentified at the time--I have actually been able to add a few new species to the Refuge moth list, such as Charadra dispulsa (Noctuidae), Schinia alencis (Noctuidae), and Zale calycanthata (Erebidae). Better late than never!
Historical footnote: Not by coincidence, I started my renewed study of moths during some intense field work and self re-examination right after 9/11, i.e. in mid-September 2001. That was a traumatic time for all of us. Diving into something to keep my mind off of current events of the time was my method of coping.