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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Great on so many levels
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Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
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Collared aracari in Costa Rica
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They’re grrrape!
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World Reef Awareness Day
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Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
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Of balloons and lost pantaloons
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International Rock Day
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Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
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Patriot Day
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Star Wars Day
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Who s there? The largest owl in the world
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World Penguin Day
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International Day of Human Space Flight
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Panda Day
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A prison fit for a count
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The Monastery of Roussanou, Greece
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Big wheels on a big mountain
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South Stack Lighthouse, Holy Island, Wales
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Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
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Diwali
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Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Rosa Parks Day
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The Tour de France begins
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Here we honor the women who ve served
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Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
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Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Take a break! It s Labor Day!
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National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC
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Mardi Gras flower power
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