Bloodmobile coming to Community Center

Every two seconds in the U.S., someone needs a blood transfusion, and a single blood donation can help save up to three people.

Blood donations typically dip during the month of July due to travel and other activities. This, coupled with an increase in outdoor recreation during the summer months, can put a strain on the existing blood supply.

To help bolster donations, Vitalant is holding a blood drive in the parking lot of the Douglas County Community and Senior Center 1329 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville on July 26. Appointments are available in the Bloodmobile from Noon-4 p.m.

As an added incentive, Vitalant is sponsoring a summer car giveaway, and anyone who chooses to donate blood through July 27 earns a chance to win a car valued at up to $30,000 . Go to vitalant.org/CarGiveaway.

Visit the Vitalant website to learn more about donor eligibility and the process of donating blood. To make an appointment in the Bloodmobile during the upcoming drive, visit donors.vitalant.org and enter code N1DCS or call 775-329-6451.

National Moth Week July 20-28

While butterflies and bees may easily come to mind when naming pollinating insects, moths deserve a high-ranking place on that esteemed list, too.

National Moth Week offers an opportunity for all people to come together in celebration of “the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths around the world.”

Started in 2012 and held annually the last week of July, the event is spearheaded by the Friends on the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, a 501(c)3 organization located in New Jersey. Throughout the week, volunteers are invited to observe moths and upload photos to partner apps iNaturalist and/or Project Noah for identification and to contribute to databases used by entomologists.

More than 150,000 moth species exist, and scientist estimate that number could be more than 500,000. Some are active during daylight hours, but most fly at night. They can range in size from as small as the head of a pin to as large as the hand of an adult.

Though any type of outdoor light will attract moths during the evening hours, the website provides a guide detailing other setups that can support observation and documentation efforts. These include using backlights, mercury vapor bulbs, and draping a white sheet over a line to provide a landing place for the moths.

Sometimes, moths simply come to you without any prompting whatsoever.

Last Saturday evening, I encountered a rather large specimen flying around our garage and approached it slowly after it landed. I wanted to capture the intricate patterning of the moth’s gray wings in a photo and just as I was about to take the picture, my son came out to the garage. The door closed hard behind him and the noise must have startled the moth, because it suddenly opened its gray forewings to reveal brilliantly colored hindwings.

The identification feature on my phone indicated the moth was likely a catocala unijuga, or once-married underwing moth. In doing a little more research, it may actually be a catocala semirelicta, or a semirelict underwing, as this is a similar moth species more commonly found in Nevada. They are active July-September, so I’m hoping to cross paths with one of these beautiful insects again.

Amy Roby can be reached at ranchosroundup@hotmail.com.