The Southwestern Research Station (SWRS) is situated in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona, a rugged terrain and an arid climate that erupts into a burst of colors and activity after the summer monsoons arrive. It is teeming with life as plants bloom, insects emerge, and the ecosystem transforms in a matter of days, which is a phenomenon that is directly related to the seasonal rains. The Chiricahua Mountains are part of the Madrean Archipelago, which is a region where species from the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Madre, and Sonoran Desert converge, fostering unique biodiversity. As such, it houses hundreds of species of butterflies and moths that thrive in its diverse microclimates, making it an ideal location to teach aspiring lepidopterists about taxonomy, ecology, and conservation.
Thus started the Lepidoptera Course at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). Founded in 2009, the Lepidoptera Course is a flagship program, taught by a team of expert researchers from across the country, designed to address gaps in specialized training for students and professionals that are interested in lepidopterology. The course has been shaped by prominent experts from across the country, including Akito Kawahara, director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, a researcher in moth evolution, genomics, and bat-moth interactions; Chris Grinter from CAS, a key organizer and advocate for taxonomic training; John Brown, a Smithsonian research entomologist focusing on Tortricidae (leafroller moths) and larval morphology; and Richard Brown from Mississippi State, who studies the intricate morphology of adult structures and the evolution of wing patterns in microlepidoptera. Kawahara, when discussing the nature of this course, expresses that:
“The research is fulfilling through making a discovery in a scientific framework, right? But, the educational component is extremely rewarding because you’re making a direct impact. With the students that come and join this particular course, many might be generally interested in butterflies and moths, but might not have the expertise to identify them, or might be really interested in them, but might not know exactly what it is that they do. We have this opportunity to inspire, instill this information, and provide it to them, and what’s most rewarding is when you see that directly, and they’re really excited about it. They take it with them.”
These educators teach the course over the span of about 10 days, integrating field elements, lectures, and ecology studies into the course. Unlike traditional university courses, this course prioritizes hands-on experience, taxonomic proficiency, and real-world applications of research. Students gain practice with identification techniques, such as genitalia dissection and field identification of characters. The lectures first encompass Lepidoptera broadly, then go into specific taxonomic groups, such as primitive mandibulate moths, following the evolutionary tree of butterflies and moths. Field activities include daytime collections and surveys, in addition to night collecting with light sheets and traps, which are techniques used to attract nocturnal insect species for monitoring or collection. Students also get the opportunity to work with an ecologist on a short-term project.
CAS, based in San Francisco, has long been a leader in biodiversity research and public engagement. In partnership with the SWRS and other collaborators, including the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and local universities, this course is organized to ensure that students benefit from the diverse expertise of researchers across a variety of institutions. Since its founding, the course has grown in scope and impact; at its establishment, it focused primarily on taxonomic training and field surveys. Later, it expanded to include genomic tools, such as DNA barcoding, which uses short sections of DNA that are then compared with a reference library in order to identify an organism to the species level. It also began to incorporate ecological projects at this time, resulting in the current, comprehensive training program that is the Lepidoptera Course today.
Kawahara also notes that “there are other lectures that are mixed in, discussing some of the really fascinating things about butterflies and moths that are not just taxonomic, but more situated in the context of predator and prey interactions, plants and flowers, and all these kinds of things.” In his lecture on predator-prey relationships, Kawahara invites his audience into a “hidden” world of ultrasonic communication between bats and moths, a world that most people rarely consider. He focuses on the ultrasonic sounds produced by moths as they fly, which are imperceptible to humans but critical. Bats rely on echolocation to hunt, detecting these high-frequency signals. Additionally, some moths have evolved chemical defenses to deter predators; others use mimicry, meaning that these non-toxic moths imitate the sounds of chemically defended species, tricking bats into avoiding them.
This dynamic communication between bats and moths is just one example of a topic explored in the upcoming 2026 Lepidoptera Course, which will take place from July 21–31. The Lepidoptera Course brings with it not only training opportunities, but also collaboration among interdisciplinary researchers, educators, and conservationists. Students receive feedback from experts in taxonomy, ecology, and genomics, through a course that is designed to welcome students of all levels, including amateurs and early-career professionals. “We’re there and we share the lab spaces with other scientists that are studying other things, like frogs and birds, from other universities,” Kawahara says. “It’s a hub of different kinds of scientists that come, and we all eat together in the cafeteria. I feel like I see new things when I’m there—new moths, new insects—and I’ve learned a lot about the ecosystem there, and it’s just a nice community.” You can apply now through July 3 by emailing swrs@amnh.org to request an application.
