Kevin Keegan
@mothpotato.bsky.social
I study moths so YOU don't have to. Lepidopterist at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A. All opinions are my own.
Always a dream to spend time in Anza-Borrego
January 7, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Always a dream to spend time in Anza-Borrego
Back in the lab grinding up moth legs for DNA. Lots of interesting moths in this batch, including maybe a new genus I got in Jalisco, Mexico this past October.
December 18, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Back in the lab grinding up moth legs for DNA. Lots of interesting moths in this batch, including maybe a new genus I got in Jalisco, Mexico this past October.
Done for the day.
November 21, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Done for the day.
Spreading moths for the people✊ in the museum's Visible Lab in the new Bringing the World to Pittsburgh exhibit
November 20, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Spreading moths for the people✊ in the museum's Visible Lab in the new Bringing the World to Pittsburgh exhibit
Absolutely exquisite handwriting in this hundred year old letter in our Hugo Kahl archive. He worked at our museum roughly from 1920–1940. Always love to see his handwriting here and there around the collection.
November 20, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Absolutely exquisite handwriting in this hundred year old letter in our Hugo Kahl archive. He worked at our museum roughly from 1920–1940. Always love to see his handwriting here and there around the collection.
Found this old map of Riverview Park in our collection for some reason. Not sure when it was made. It says "Paul for historical facts" but Paul don't work here no more! Anybody have any ideas of when this could be from?
August 22, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Found this old map of Riverview Park in our collection for some reason. Not sure when it was made. It says "Paul for historical facts" but Paul don't work here no more! Anybody have any ideas of when this could be from?
There's something very wrong with my stream
August 2, 2025 at 1:33 AM
There's something very wrong with my stream
Mating eastern tailed-blues in the garden today
July 19, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Mating eastern tailed-blues in the garden today
My showcase garden plot of goldenrod, gayfeather, American asters, wingstem, dogbane, milkweed, and deer tongue grass
May 30, 2025 at 1:24 AM
My showcase garden plot of goldenrod, gayfeather, American asters, wingstem, dogbane, milkweed, and deer tongue grass
Hahaha Oneil Cruz is eating an Uncrustable after hitting an enormous home run
May 28, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Hahaha Oneil Cruz is eating an Uncrustable after hitting an enormous home run
Polished an old brass (and copper?) lamp we had in our section's storage. Made by Almond Man. Co. in Brooklyn, NY with patent number on it from 1898. Being from that era, it may have been a lamp of the museum's and section's first director, William Jacob Holland (pictured behind the polished lamp).
May 28, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Polished an old brass (and copper?) lamp we had in our section's storage. Made by Almond Man. Co. in Brooklyn, NY with patent number on it from 1898. Being from that era, it may have been a lamp of the museum's and section's first director, William Jacob Holland (pictured behind the polished lamp).
Ok everyone post with how they use their pet in their research.
I use my dog's whiskers for the very delicate process of removing scales while dissecting moth genitalia. Here are the whiskers glued to wooden dowels, and a file photo of my dog Tule.
I use my dog's whiskers for the very delicate process of removing scales while dissecting moth genitalia. Here are the whiskers glued to wooden dowels, and a file photo of my dog Tule.
May 21, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Ok everyone post with how they use their pet in their research.
I use my dog's whiskers for the very delicate process of removing scales while dissecting moth genitalia. Here are the whiskers glued to wooden dowels, and a file photo of my dog Tule.
I use my dog's whiskers for the very delicate process of removing scales while dissecting moth genitalia. Here are the whiskers glued to wooden dowels, and a file photo of my dog Tule.
We had a microscope vendor come by the museum to demo a new scope. So I gave him a toughy to photo: a species of sparkling archaic sun moth (Eriocraniidae) found in Pittsburgh. He got a great pic, but oriented it upside down ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Right side up here, with upside down scale bar in the top left
May 20, 2025 at 3:40 PM
We had a microscope vendor come by the museum to demo a new scope. So I gave him a toughy to photo: a species of sparkling archaic sun moth (Eriocraniidae) found in Pittsburgh. He got a great pic, but oriented it upside down ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Right side up here, with upside down scale bar in the top left
Mummy wasp, with mummy wasp cocoon (bottom left) and mummified caterpillar the wasp larva developed in (bottom right) from my recent trip to California.
bugguide.net/node/view/23...
bugguide.net/node/view/23...
May 12, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Mummy wasp, with mummy wasp cocoon (bottom left) and mummified caterpillar the wasp larva developed in (bottom right) from my recent trip to California.
bugguide.net/node/view/23...
bugguide.net/node/view/23...
Looks like they are Acrididae eggs!
May 11, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Looks like they are Acrididae eggs!
Looking for caterpillars in a field of Bigelow's tickseed in Nine Mile Canyon outside Inyokern, CA today
April 29, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Looking for caterpillars in a field of Bigelow's tickseed in Nine Mile Canyon outside Inyokern, CA today
A longhorn bee sleeping in a wild onion flower today in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
April 26, 2025 at 4:15 AM
A longhorn bee sleeping in a wild onion flower today in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Looking for caterpillars on mistletoe in the Santa Lucia Mountains in California today.
April 25, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Looking for caterpillars on mistletoe in the Santa Lucia Mountains in California today.
Any entomologists know what these eggs? are that I found in soil in Pittsburgh?
April 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Any entomologists know what these eggs? are that I found in soil in Pittsburgh?
Visible from Herron Hill
April 13, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Visible from Herron Hill
How do you say "gofuckyaself" in Hebrew
April 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
How do you say "gofuckyaself" in Hebrew