Miller Moth Colorado Migration

How much less interesting would arthropod photography be if so many of them weren’t extremely hairy? In the western plains, the Miller Moth mass migration begins in late spring when they fly from the grasslands (today, farmland) up to the cooler mountains. In summer there’s a dense abundance of nectar-giving wildflowers at high elevations for them to feast on. Along their journey many are attracted to lights and get trapped inside houses. Luckily, my house is right in their path. There’s no controlling them once inside as new moths arrive in waves daily. Dozens of them perch on walls where their defecation drools down the paint and leaves dark brown streaks. Window sills slowly fill with their carcasses. In the evening, flocks of them flutter around house lamps. For the whole evening until the lights are turned off, the house resonates with the sound of them flying into light bulbs…”ding, ding, ding, ding, ding…”

The image above received over 16,000 hits on Flickr in a day. This deadly sharp image was taken by my Olympus duo; the E-M5 II body with 60mm Zuiko macro lens, set on focus bracket. You can find them here:
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
Olympus Zuiko 60mm Macro Lens