Sometimes an insect is just out of your reach. What to do?

Screw together your handy-dandy extendable butterfly net, of course.

This photo is of a moth collecting colleague of mine, going after a polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus). He got it!

Sometimes we check out the security lights around gas stations and warehouses (with permission) to catch the moths attracted to the lights. On one hand it’s quite depressing that these lights affect the ecosystem so much and attract so many moths. But on the other hand, it makes it easy for us to encounter interesting and rare species without the effort of setting up our own light.