Bongo moths make a comeback after nearly being wiped out

“Australia’s endangered bogong moths are returning in greater numbers after a devastating population crash in 2017 and 2018 that reduced their population by an estimated 99.5 percent. Researchers have confirmed more than 1,600 moth sightings since the beginning of September 2026, compared with 1,089 during all of 2024,” reports The Doomslayer.

The New York Times explains:

“Decades ago, spring in Australia meant lifting a towel or opening a curtain to a surprised moth or two fluttering out, as billions of bogong moths migrated across vast swaths of the country’s southeast.

But since the 1980s, the bogong moth population has declined drastically because of the increased use of insecticides, habitat destruction and the proliferation of artificial lighting. Bad droughts in 2017 and 2018 reduced the insect’s population by about 99.5 percent. Many Australians were left wondering whether the moths would ever return.

This year, the swarms are back and scientists are rejoicing…Since the start of September, the Moth Tracker team has received 4,000 submissions. They have analyzed more than 1,850 of those, confirming more than 1,600 as bogong moths. In 2024, which Dr. Parrott said was the previous best year on record, there were more than 1,950 submissions with 1,089 verified bogong moths.”

Recently, a long-lost species of butterfly returned to Pittsburgh, after being missing since 1937. It returned after its food source also returned to Pittsburgh: the pawpaw, a creamy banana-like fruit native to North America. “Zebra swallowtail butterfly caterpillars feed off the leaves of the pawpaw tree, while the mature adults will often feed on the pawpaw’s nectar as well as minerals from the soil surrounding the trees.”

The Appalachian grasshopper recently returned to Virginia after being absent for 80 years.

16 new species of grasshoppers were discovered.