The Best Nightlife in Town 2020

We all love a fun night out – a nice restaurant, jamming with a favorite band, or dancing until our feet hurt. But during quarantine, opportunities for a traditional night out were limited.

To remedy this, Florida Museum and University of Florida scientists joined forces to showcase some of The Best Nightlife in Town… Gainesville’s nocturnal insects!

We zoomed with six entomologists who set up light sheets in their own backyards to entice insects working the night shift. The scientists began by showing off their setups and explained why using light on a dark night works to attract many bugs. Headlamps and handheld scopes allowed our researchers to show off some exciting six-legged visitors, even in low-light conditions! Although this event was catch-and-release, we took time to discuss why research collections are so valuable, and why it’s still important for scientists to continue collecting today.

Over 180 participants tuned in from around the globe and were able to ask our scientists questions throughout the program. We discussed giant hornets, the origin of Pokémon, favorite insects, moths that don’t have mouths, and so much more!

This type of night out is always a blast, so check out the recorded event and meet the bugs in your own backyard!

two scientists look at a lit sheet and point a mobile device at some insects during a live meeting

Scientists like Jiri Hulcr and Andrea Lucky were able to show their insect finds to our live audience during a live Zoom event. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

a large yellow moth with striking eyespots on a white sheet

A large io moth (Automeris io) made an appearance at our live insect event. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

large green insect with long legs and leaf shaped wings

This curious katydid visited with our scientists during our bug event. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

researcher under blue ight holds a camera close to an insect on a sheet

Dr. Jiri Hulcr focuses in on an insect that was attracted to the lights during our event. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

two scientists carefully hold a beetle up to a mobile device on a tripod

Jiri Hulcr and Andrea Lucky show an insect to our event guests by carefully holding it close to the camera lens. and Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

long blue light fixture against a white sheet

Special lights and light sheets were set up after dusk to attract insects to be safely observed and noted during our live event. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

small mottled insect with pronounced head structure on a white sheet

Many expected and unexpected insects showed up during our live bug watching event. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Guests at our bug event ranged from very large moths to very small flies. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage

Participating scientists

Dr. Akito Kawahara
Associate Curator
Florida Museum of Natural History
Kawahara Lab
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/kawahara-lab/

Matthew Standridge (Research Technician), Kristin Rossetti (Research Assistant), Sarah Steele Cabrera (Research Assistant)
Florida Museum of Natural History
Daniels Lab
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/daniels-lab/

Dr. Andrea Lucky
Assistant Professor
University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Department
Lucky Lab
http://www.andrealucky.com/

Dr. Jiri Hulcr
Associate Professor
University of Florida Forest Resources & Conservation
http://www.ambrosiasymbiosis.org/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPtZn-ANjdXsEkojNN_i_ZQ

Event

This event was originally held by Zoom on May 23, 2020. Event guests were encouraged to ask participants questions throughout the event. Guests were also sent:

instructions for setting up your own insect observation station
a recipe for themed beverages (bug juice for all ages!)
a curated playlist created just for this special night