National Moth Week shines the porch light on an unlikely hero. Unlike their showier cousins, butterflies, moths get a bad rap from time to time, and that’s fair, as caterpillars of some moth species are agricultural pests. But before you break out the mothballs, take a gander at winged wonders like the comet moth, shown here. Scientists estimate that there are some 160,000 species of moths worldwide, many just as stunning as our comet moth, and tracking their health often helps us gauge the health of entire ecosystems.
And you thought moths were boring
Today in History
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Tiny fliers head south
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Day of the Dead
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Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
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Bridge to infinity
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Fossil Day
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When science looks like magic
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A river runs through it
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Celebrating migrations
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Welcome to the Alien Egg Hatchery
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A unique elephant encounter in Nantes
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Happy Bee Day to you
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Northern coast of Colombia
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Fox kits
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Travel Sunday: Liverpool
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Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona
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Feeling crabby?
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Vieste, Apulia, Italy
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National Napping Day
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A bridge that rocks
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A dramatic view of Sicily
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Dressed to impress
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All eyes on moths
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Autumn comes to Old Town
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Travel Sunday: San Francisco
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An enduring vision
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Birthplace of Roman emperors
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So, how long till springtime?
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Cherry blossom season in Tokyo
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Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
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Veterans Day