What do moths have to do with owls? Just ask Mat Seidensticker. After nearly a decade spent studying owls across Montana and Alaska, Seidensticker focused his research on the flammulated owl, one of Montana’s smallest and most cryptic species. Soon, it became impossible for him to ignore the moths—insects that this owl hunts extensively during the summer.

This story is about moths in Montana, but it’s also about moths in ecosystems anywhere: a celebration of their importance and diversity, an invitation to learn.

As usual, it includes lots of ambient sound recordings that I made, all of these ones in Montana: flammulated owl, common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii), common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), tree crickets (Oecanthus sp.), aspen (Populus tremuloides) rustling in the wind, Swainson’s thrush (Catharus ustulatus), white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), Cassin’s finch (Haemorhous cassinii), and black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus).

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You can find the written, illustrated version of this story here: https://wildwithnature.com/2025/02/01/why-moths-matter/
To learn more about the Montana Moth Project, go to https://www.montanamothproject.org/.