From "The Upside Down Forest" series; an ongoing project about the work to conserve and restore native prairies in Texas.

One way land managers chart changes in prairie ecosystems is holding "moth nights." They hang a bright blue fabric tarp near a lantern and document the species and numbers of every flying insect that alights. The blue attracts and also makes the bugs easier to see and photograph. During a moth night at the Dowell Ranch in south austin, which is under the stewardship of the Native Prairies Association of Texas, several robber flies were documented along with grasshoppers and beetles.