At the start of August, an intriguing email arrived in my mailbox from City of Ottawa Forestry staff.
Subject: For Your Awareness – Upcoming Carleton University Research
I’m writing to let you know about an upcoming citywide research study that Carleton University will be conducting in several wards across Ottawa to assess the benefits of urban greening initiatives by surveying bird and insect populations in forested areas.
As part of the study, researchers will deploy a non-lethal moth trap at the following park in Ward 6:
Location Ladybirds Park – 65 Sirocco Crescent
Study Dates August 7–17, 2026
September 5–15, 2026
The traps will be set at dusk and collected shortly after dawn, outside of the parks’ general operating hours. They will be placed within forested areas and are not expected to disrupt residents. Informational signs will be installed beside each trap, including a brief description of the study and a QR code that links to more information.
The traps are completely non-lethal. Moths remain alive throughout the process and are gently released after identification and data collection. No vegetation, infrastructure, or public access areas will be disturbed.
Each trap consists of: A 20 W UV black light
A funnel and bucket collection chamber
Egg cartons that provide resting surfaces for the moths
A battery
A weather-resistant bilingual label with project contact information
Forestry Services is pleased to support this research initiative and wanted to ensure your office is aware of the study in case you receive any questions or comments from residents. If you have any questions or if your office receives inquiries about the research, please feel free to direct them to the lead researcher, Donovan Martin…
Sounds interesting! I don’t know a lot about moths, but I do know they are an important part of the food chain. So I reached out to Donovan, and asked if he could tell me more about the work. He sent back a note and some photos, shared here with his permission.
Hi Glen,
Thank you so much for your email! I’m a researcher with Biodiversity Conservation Solutions lab at Carleton University. The purpose of my research is to see the effect of urban forests on moth and butterfly (lepidoptera) populations!
Ladybirds Park is classified as a mature forest, with several trees older than 10 years of age. Mature forest parks are compared to younger forest parks with trees younger than 10 and open parks which are primarily fields.
By day, I do Pollard walks at City of Ottawa parks, where, with a butterfly net, I look around and try to count and identify specimens I see. Below is a Large lace-border moth I found in Ladybirds.
At night, I place moth traps. A UV light is attached to a bucket full of egg cartons. The moths fly through the funnel and rest when the sunrises. I place the traps at sundown and pick them up at sunrise.
A Master’s dart
A Common gluphisia moth.
All my experimentation is non-lethal, catch-and-release.
