Photographing some incredibly beautiful, small elements of God's creation!

Back in the day when Marie and I were living in Rondeau, and I was the park naturalist, I had a curiosity about moths, among many other things. A friend of mine had been looking for moths long before I had, and he put me onto a method of attracting them. It was called sugaring and there was an older book on the park's shelves which was helpful to explain the process, and even help identify some of the moths one might encounter.

Essentially what you needed was a bottle of stale beer, an over-ripe banana or two, some molasses and some brown sugar. Mix them well, and then after dark, brush some of the mixture onto a tree trunk. Check the tree trunk from time to time, and see if anything comes in. I had a bit of success in getting some moths, although the occasional raccoon stopped by to lick away at it as well. One of the main groups of moths that would show up to sip the solution were the Underwings (Catocala spp.) This first photo is of a Sweetheart Underwing, which I took much more recently as I sometimes did a bit of sugaring along with my black light set up, as underwings don't often come to lights. Underwings are well known for their brightly coloured and usually distinctive underwing pattern, although when the forewings are closed, they can blend in with their surrounding very well. You can see a bit of the sugaring solution dribbling down the tree bark, being sipped by the moth. 

 I managed to attract a few, and probably got a few record photos on slide film back in those days. This friend of mine who was fairly serious about moth collecting, had a bottle of potassium cyanide with which to put the live moth in, in order to kill it fairly quickly so it could then be mounted for his moth collection. Due to its extreme danger, it was not something you could just get at a store. He had special permission for it when he acquired it years earlier. He gave me a bottle, but I never used it since I wasn't into collecting the moths. When we moved to Chatham a few years later and there was a special event in the municipality to collect things that couldn't be put in the regular garbage or recycling, I took the bottle and explained what it was for. In the next issue of the local paper explaining the success of the collecting, my jar of potassium cyanide was featured as one of the most unusual things that had ever been contributed! 

But sugaring wasn't quite as productive as I was hoping, and I had lots of other things needing attention. After a few years my job changed so that we moved to Chatham and I didn't pursue the sugaring process very eagerly or successfully. But it was a start.

Fast forward to about 2015. Many different species of moths are well known for being attracted to lights. So in my retirement years, I acquired a 'black light' and started setting up in various places. This first photo shows what it looks like, a bit before dark.

 And then after dark...

 Almost immediately there was a multitude of insects attracted to the light, many of which were not moths. Beetles, bugs, crickets, midges, crane flies, dragonflies, leafhoppers, spiders, etc., and of course moths, were all at the sheet eventually. Here is a sample of a very small patch of the white sheet, none of which are moths; two leafhoppers more or less in the centre, and very different two beetles. In peak midge season, the sheet can be almost completely covered, along with the occasional other creature.

Green Stink Bug with midges

Over the years, I spent a lot of evenings, even into the early morning hours, watching, waiting and photographing quite a diversity of God's little creatures that are largely ignored by most people. For the average person, moths are those little drab things that splat on your windshield as you are driving after dark. Admittedly many moth species are very small and not all that brightly coloured. But they are incredibly diverse and have provided many hours of enjoyment for me with the camera/flash set-up.

Since I got back into photographing these night-time creatures with my black-light, I have spent the bulk of my time in at least a dozen different habitats at Rondeau. I have also had the lights set up in my back yard, but have been to many other places, some in Chatham-Kent, such as Clear Creek Forest Prov Park and Sinclair's Bush Conservation Area. In Lambton Co it has included Reid Conservation area, Bickford Oak Woods Conservation Reserve and Moore Wildlife Area. In Middlesex Co, I have been to Skunk's Misery as well as the Sydenham River Nature Reserve. In Elgin Co, I have been to the private Newport Forest at the request of its owner, and is currently owned by the Thames Talbot Land Trust. As all of these occurrences have been well after dark, sometimes even after midnight, permission is requested since it is an atypical activity which may trigger special investigation. One time I even had an OPP officer check me out! It turned out that he was an acquaintance and nearby neighbour so we had a good chat. 

I have had other places in mind, but of course in the last couple of years as Marie was on the decline, I cut back quite a bit, and since she passed, have only had the lights on in my back yard once or twice. I have more time now, of course, but the motivation isn't the same as it once was, and coming home to an empty house well after dark just isn't the same. Perhaps I will get back into it a bit more this coming season, time will tell. Just putting this post together has gotten my interest up again, so maybe it will be part of my outdoor photography times in 2026.

The diversity of moths is amazing! In my efforts so far, I have photographed more than 750 species, plus numerous other creatures that came to visit, and have well over 3500 photos on iNaturalist from the various locations. At Rondeau alone, I have photographed well over 500 species. There have been a few other people photographing moths at Rondeau, but far less intensively, and the total list for the park to date is 784 species. If Rondeau was thoroughly surveyed, I am sure there would be well over 1000 species, maybe even 1500 due to the highly diverse habitats, so there are good reasons to continue in 2026 and beyond. I had always intended to set up my black lights well out along the Marsh Trail, as the habitat there is quite different, but since the trail was partially destroyed by erosion a few years ago and is no longer accessible by vehicle, it is a habitat that will likely get missed, unfortunately. Who knows what diversity is being missed??

One of the motivations to black light is, in addition to capture the wonderful diversity, is that you never know what you might find, and that has been a highlight at times. For example, even in my own back yard, I photographed a species that was the first record for Canada! It is known as a Coffee-loving Pyrausta Moth.

On another occasion, at Rondeau, I photographed a Goldenrod Stowaway, only the second record for Canada.

As mentioned, many are quite small and not all that colourful, but I want to share a very few of the most colourful or distinctive ones I have had the pleasure to photograph.

Spiny Oak-slug

Next is an unusual pair, and two of my favourite members of the Silk Moth group. The one on the left is a Pink-striped Oakworm Moth, and the one on the right is a Rosy Maple Moth. Most times I am happy to get a good photo of one, as they have a short season, in June. This opportunity to get both of them so close to each other in a single photograph was truly unusual.

Promethea Moth

Pink-shaded Fern Moth

Large Tolype Moth

Harris's Three-spot

Black-bordered Lemon Moth

IO Moth

Chickweed Geometer

Zeller's Ethmia

Glorious Habrosyne

Skiff Moth

Arched Hooktip

Columbine Borer Moth

Hickory Tussock Moth

Orange-headed Epicallima

Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth

Some of these are very tiny, as you can tell by looking at the size of the weave of the white sheet. A very good 100mm macro lens, with extension tubes sometimes used, is a requirement, and of course a good flash. Even at that, almost every photo has been quite cropped.

Not all moths are strictly night-time creatures, but the vast majority are. However here is a day-flying moth which I had the pleasure of photographing in my yard this past year. I was sitting one morning in July, enjoying a second cup of coffee as well as the quiet of the morning, thanking God for so many blessings including Marie, when this Nessus Sphinx moth came by sipping the nectar of a nearby Common Milkweed plant. It didn't seem to be in the least perturbed by my presence, and even allowed me to quickly go into the house and get my photo equipment.

Another day-flying moth similar to the previous one is this Snowberry Clearwing, shown next. I came across it while I was participating in the local butterfly count, and didn't pass up the opportunity to photograph it.

These moths are part of the huge family of Lepidoptera, which also includes butterflies. Most people will relate more closely with butterflies, since they are day flying, sometimes passing through one's back yard as they explore the flowers growing there. I will possibly devote a future post to them.

Certainly there is a lot of effort required to get these photos, and they don't all turn out this well. But the effort to capture the colour and diversity of such an incredible part of God's fabulous creation is so worth it! I am so, so thankful to Him for being able to explore and capture the beauty of a small part of what He has created. And I am totally convinced that the heavenly realm will be so much more colourful and diverse, expressing how wonderful He is!!!

 

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Near Death Experiences, continued

 This will be further thoughts about Near Death Experiences (NDEs), introduced in my previous post, and what awaits each and every one of us.

 Be forewarned: reading some of the things expressed by some of the NDErs in the book, may trigger a few intense emotions, some joyful and others, perhaps very sad.

 I hadn’t been all that aware of NDEs until about a year ago, as described in my previous post. And then it was just an amazing revelation of what they are, and what they mean!

 Each of us was created, by God, with an eternal soul/spirit, that occupies our earthly body for a few decades. The real person of who we are is based on our God-created spirit, not necessarily the human body. But our soul/spirit lives on forever.

 Many of the experiences shared in the book Imagine The God Of Heaven by John Burke, are just overwhelmingly inspirational. As I read through it, I often will just read a few pages and then consider the impact of NDEs on so many people in such an incredible way. I have to put the book down, consider what I have read and have a few joyful and emotional moments thanking and praising God.

People from so many walks of life, be it professional engineers, university professors, medical specialists, doctors and others, have shared what they experienced. Also from so many different religious backgrounds around the world, including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and atheists. The majority have a commonality in what they experienced. Even a wide range of ages, from 4-year-olds to senior citizens, have shared. For many years, people were hesitant to share, especially those in a highly regarded professional occupation, as they thought people might think they were crazy, and had so much credibility to lose, and certainly no financial gain either. But when more and more experiences came to light, it was amazing how many people have had an NDE and the commonality of what they experienced.

In this day and age when sharing information is so much easier than it was decades ago, I think it is relevant that they are being shared for so many people to know about. Also Burke was initially an agnostic, but once he was introduced to the topic, researched so many NDEs, well over 1000 and growing, he became aware of God’s love and compassion for you and me, His creations. Burke was also averse to public speaking, but eventually he was led to speak on the topic numerous times, to many tens of thousands. He gave up his career in engineering, and became a pastor.

As a result, Burke’s book, as well as various others who had researched the topic over the years which includes the likes of Lee Strobel, Steve Miller, Pim van Lommel and others, have made this topic known world-wide. The results are that it enables people to have a better understanding of how much God loves each and everyone of us, and desires to have an eternal, loving relationship with us in the incredible beauty of His heavenly realm, which makes even the most beautiful aspects of what we see on earth, pale by comparison. And it is all free, since the price for our sins was paid for by Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross. We all have free will, to accept God’s love or reject it. For anyone rejecting it, the eternal results are not pleasant. Some of those who had an NDE saw what it was like for those who did not accept God’s free gift.

I have read and re-read this book, being so joyfully uplifted by what is written. I have underlined many statements, even entire paragraphs, highlighting so many fantastic things that the NDEs have described which go waaaay beyond our comprehension. As they often say, the human language cannot begin to adequately describe the beauty, the love, and the compassion that they were overwhelmed with.

Here are just a very few things that I have highlighted in my copy:

-everything good in life, all that we love, comes from our Maker and flows from Him.

-the more you realize that God is the source of all love and the love you’ve always longed for is ultimately found in God, the more you will want to seek him and trust in him in faith.

-you and I were created for a unique relationship with God.

-every human being has a soul that lives on after death, in a world overseen by a God of Light and Love

-NDEs are God’s gift to our globally connected world, as widespread evidence of God’s reality and his great love for people of all nations.

-a Muslim stated after meeting God in an NDE “I thought doing good religious work in Islam would get me there, to heaven, but it never happened. I found all I was looking for in Jesus.

-a person who was the victim of sexual abuse as a young child was shown by God in her NDE that “the men who raped me were held hostage by a powerful demon and just as much a victim of evil as I had been, and he wanted all of us set free”.

-an Imam had an NDE, was dead for over twelve hours, and had an incredible experience initially experiencing the demonic world where demons were torturing him when all of a sudden, someone else entered the room and the demons fled. He realized that God was there, had some communication with Him, and then returned to his body, only to discover that since he had been dead for so long, they were preparing him for entombment. When he jumped up and started shouting that he had met Jesus, the Muslims that were there fled! This person eventually became a Christian pastor.

-another NDEr stated that “God’s love for me was intensely personal. I sensed that I was known and loved even before I was born into this world, and his love was unconditional”.

-God is working through you and me to bring light to this dark world.

-even the grass and flowers were singing praises to God 

This next photo is one of my all-time favourite ones I have taken. It is a closeup of an endangered orchid, and it is only known in Canada at Rondeau. It is very small, seldom getting more than 10-12 cm in height, and often being less than 6 cm. It has a peculiar flowering strategy, with each flower bud developing to a certain point, and the flowering being triggered by a significant drop in night-time temperature. It will open on the second morning following that temperature drop, and will only flower for a single day. It may be a week or more before the weather conditions trigger the next flower bud to open. On very rare occasions, a plant may have three flowers open at the same time! Most of the flowers are white, but later in the season, some may be magenta in colour. This photo shows two developing buds and a single flower, which is looking upwards and singing praises to its creator! 

Nodding Pogonia

More things I have highlighted:

 -the only thing that can keep us out of heaven is our pride. God gives us free will to choose to accept or reject Him. The results of accepting Him or rejecting Him in the after-life are quite the opposite!

-people who on earth are not inclined to worship or praise God can’t help but do so in heaven, and wish they could do so forever

-you live in the Spirit when you make it a habit to go through your day, moment by moment, inviting the Holy Spirit into every thought, every decision, every action

-God is crazy in love with you and prayer is simply communication with the one who loves you most!

-God knows all of our deepest desires, and enjoys meeting them—in heaven but also on earth.

There are just so, so many things described in this book, that the few that I have featured above, are just a taste, and really don’t do the overall message justice. In fact almost the whole book could be underlined to really portray the message that God inspired John Burke to write about. I find great joy in re-reading this book, as it is so full of God’s love and messages for each person.

There is absolutely no question that by God bringing the topic of NDEs to my attention in the last year, has been an overwhelmingly wonderful thing, and has caused me to think much of the blessings I have had in my life, and what awaits me. I have spent a lot of time missing my sweetheart Marie, of course, but am also so thankful that God rescued her from the evil that she was a victim of and being influenced by. She was an absolute treasure and gift from God in so many ways and I continue to thank and praise Him for Marie.

Marie and I in 1979

 

Marie in 2010

For anyone who has an appreciation for nature and the beauty of God’s creations, from the descriptions given by many who have had an NDE, even the most beautiful places will pale in comparison to the heavenly realm. And for birders who are pursuing a big list of birds here on earth, I will await my time in heaven where I will have an eternity to explore and experience God’s incredible perfect world which will portray His magnificent and diverse creation forever.

This leads me to share a fairly recent song on UCB radio by TobyMac, called Heaven On My Mind. I have had many, many thoughts about heaven these days, and what Marie is experiencing and what I will eventually! Here is the link.

 

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