2026 Mothapalooza
Schedule of Events
photo: Waved Sphinx, Jeff White
FRIDAY
1:00 PM – Registration and Welcome
Location: Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center
Please stop by the registration table upon arrival to check in and receive your name tag, event schedule, maps, and local hiking information. Staff and volunteers will be available to help orient you to the weekend’s activities and answer questions about the Sanctuary and surrounding areas.
Participants arriving earlier in the day are encouraged to enjoy the region’s remarkable natural areas. Registrants will be provided with maps, and recommendations of nearby hiking trails, and scenic locations to visit in Shawnee State Forest and surrounding preserves.
1:00 PM – Optional Afternoon Programs
Introduction to Mothing & Moth ID - Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center
If you are new to the world of mothing, this session will provide a welcoming introduction to the incredible diversity of moths you may encounter during the weekend. Learn the basics of moth observation, light setups, and identification techniques so you can make the most of your nighttime adventures.
The Caterpillar Lab with Sam Jaffe - Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center
Stop by to experience the traveling Caterpillar Lab, an extraordinary collection of live caterpillars displayed with bouquets of their host plants so that they can relax and just eat while being observed. Sam Jaffe puts on an AMAZING show of living caterpillars, living pupae, and even caterpillars blown up on the big screen connected to a microscope, all the while doing what comes naturally to them, whether that be molting, eating, or even succumbing to parasites. The closer you look, the more dramatic the lives of caterpillars become. But best of all, Sam is a consummate storyteller, keeping you dumbfounded and attentive while learning about moth diversity, beauty, and ecological importance.
3:30 PM – Film Showing in Portsmouth - Sam Jaffe’s NEW Film on Moths
Participants are invited to attend a special screening of “The Extraordinary Caterpillar“ at the Southern Ohio Museum Center in downtown Portsmouth, roughly a 21-minute drive from Shawnee Lodge. Transportation details and directions will be provided. We recommend watching the film, which is only available for special viewings like this one, and then staying on in town afterward and enjoying dinner in Portsmouth.
5:00 PM – Dinner on Your Own
Dinner is on your own on Friday evening. Participants are encouraged to explore the local restaurants and cafés in Portsmouth. Suggestions will be provided to registrants.
7:00 PM – Evening Presentations
Location: Shawnee State Lodge & Conference Center
Join us for an informal evening of short talks on a potpourri of Moth topics. These relaxed sessions offer participants and presenters the opportunity to share projects, stories, and discoveries related to moths, insects, conservation, and natural history. We already have several scheduled speakers. If you are attending and wish to make a presentation, please contact Cassidy, and she’ll see if we have an empty slot. If we don’t, there is always next year, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
9:30 PM – Lights On! Night Mothing Begins
Mothing at Shawnee State Park and Forest
The lights come on in the darkness, and the magic begins! Join fellow moth enthusiasts at our lighting stations throughout Shawnee State Forest to witness the incredible diversity of nocturnal insects drawn to the lights. Participants are welcome to circulate among stations, photograph insects, and help document species for the weekend’s observations. Directions and maps will be provided.
Bioblitz at 706-acre Tremper Mound Preserve (Advanced Mothing Option)
For those interested in contributing to a focused biodiversity survey, a mothing bioblitz will take place at the Arc of Appalachia’s 700-acre Tremper Mound Preserve. Participants will collaboratively catalog the diversity of moths and other nocturnal insects present at this unique location. Tremper Mound is also home to the 2000-year old Tremper Mound,that once served the Hopewell Culture as part of their 25-square-mile sacred, precisely earth-engineered landscape known today as Portsmouth Works. Tremper Mound is roughly a 25-minute drive from the lodge.
SATURDAY
9:30-10:30 AM – Breakfast Served.
Location: Picnic Shelter on Mackletree Road, near the Nature Center. Feel free to arrive at staggered times.
10:00 AM – Caterpillar Lab Open House
Location: Shawnee State Lodge & Conference Center
Spend the morning exploring the Caterpillar Lab, featuring live caterpillars feeding on their host plants.
Arc of Appalachia Gift Shop Open
Be sure to stop by and pick up this year’s Mothapalooza T-shirt! Our gift shop will be located in the Ballroom at the Shawnee Lodge.
1:00 PM – Afternoon Programs
Participants may choose from hands-on workshops or guided field trips exploring the natural and cultural landscapes of the Shawnee region. Learn more about those here: Guided Field Trips & Field Trips
5:00 - 5:45 PM – Dinner Served
Location: Picnic Shelter on Mackletree Road, near the Nature Center. Feel free to arrive at staggered times, Participants will gather for a shared evening meal at the picnic shelter. This is a wonderful opportunity to relax, reconnect with friends, and meet new moth-ers!
7:30 PM – Evening Program
Location: Shawnee State Lodge & Conference Center. Join us for a special evening of presentations celebrating moths, conservation, and the incredible biodiversity of Appalachia
Moth of the Year Presentation: Andy Quitmeyer - "Mothbox: Automated Insect Biodiversity Monitoring You Can Build Yourself"
9:30 PM – Night Magic Begins!!
Return to Shawnee State Forest for another evening of mothing under the stars, documenting species, and enjoying the magic of the Appalachian forest’s nocturnal biodiversity.
SUNDAY
9:30-10:30 AM – Breakfast Served at Tremper Mound.
Feel free to arrive at staggered times for a warm breakfast. Tremper M0und Preserve is one of Ohio’s most significant historic landmarks. Stay after breakfast for a tour of the mound and the story of its world-significance OR enjoy one or more of the three hiking trails offered in the preserve.
10:00 AM – Caterpillar Lab at Shawnee State Lodge & Conference Center.
Before departing, stop by for one final opportunity to visit the Caterpillar Lab and learn more about the incredible world of caterpillars.
10:30 AM – Tour of Tremper Mound.
Enjoy this one-hour-long tour of the remarkable Tremper Mound, a 2000-year-old earthwork still visible to the eye today. The mound was once an integral part of the immense Hopewell ceremonial complex of earthworks that was developed on both banks of the Ohio River, known today as Portsmouth Works. Tremper Mound is one of the few standing reminders of the architectural scale and grandeur achieved in the engineering feat of Portsmouth Works. It is also one of only two mounds that have even been discovered in the Hopewell Culture’s midwestern territory to cache the pinnacle of Hopewell art - sacred animal effigy pipes that captured likenesses of the wildlife with whom the people shared their world.