Entomology and my experiences

Entomology - the study of insects. 

I'm someone with a lot of "obsessions", and while nature may be the crowing obsession which dominates all, there are sub-obsessions in a narrow-margined hierarchy. In the sub-obsession hierarchy, entomology reigns near the top. 

People think I only got into insects in school, but that's not the case whatsoever. I found school (university) to be lacking intensely when it came to entomology and the demand for knowledge I wanted. I also had zero interest in pursuing anything like a masters. I just wanted the biology degree and then be done with that shit (magic expensive piece of paper obtained). 

My madness for insects began as a toddler apparently.  My mother recalls trying to pull me away from spiders in their webs, since I liked to just stare at them. She and my dad had a phobia of spiders, something I'm glad was not passed down (too fucking oblivious to pick up on their reactions I guess).  Dad would often take my sister and I on nature walks to local trails where he indulged in my interests to a degree, pointing out Argiope spiders in pastures, and cicadas on trees. And then he got me an Audubon field guide to insects, which became an endless source of inspiration for drawings (in addition to the hand-me-down National Geographics).  

The fascination continued throughout life, with a sub-sub-obsession with moths appearing in about 2007.  I've been fortunate enough to contribute data and photographs to Petersons field guides, atlases, and moth focused websites. I've also led and taken part in several moth focused events and conferences over the years (both in Canada and the USA). I enjoyed sharing the knowledge with others, and meeting fellow entomology fanatics. 

Nowadays I don't do much community involvement (mainly since I moved to the middle of nowhere) but I still have a special light and sheet set up on my porch to attract nocturnal insects, just in case I can add new species to my lifelist (the moth list is at over 1200 species).     Thankfully, I get to do some insect focused field-work for my job, mainly to find species at risk insects (usually certain bumblebee species, certain butterfly species and some certain dragonfly species)

While moths may be the top "bugs", I like them all. I have an unrealistic goal to see all of the species of insect and arachnid in Ontario (and plants of Ontario too). I know it's unattainable, and that I'd need several lifetimes to achieve it, but it keeps me on my toes and I never get tired of the hunt and thrill of seeing something I haven't seen before, even if it's a mosquito species or plain little black beetle.