The Jewel Box: How Moths Illuminate Nature’s Hidden Rules

by Tim Blackburn

Every morning, ecologist Tim Blackburn is inspired by the diversity contained within the moth trap he runs on the roof of his London flat. Beautiful, ineffably mysterious organisms, these moths offer a glimpse into a larger order, one that extends beyond individual species, beyond lepidoptera or insects, and into a hidden landscape.

Footmen, whose populations are on the march as their lichen food recovers from decades of industrial pollution. The Goat Moth, a thumb-sized broken stick mimic, that takes several years to mature deep in the wood of tree trunks. The Oak Eggar, with the look of a bemused Honey Monster, host to a large wasp that eats its caterpillars alive from the inside. The Uncertain, whose similarity to other species has motivated its English name. The Silver Y, with a weight measured in milligrams, but capable of migrating across a continent. A moth trap is a magical contraption, conjuring these and hundreds of other insect jewels out of the darkness.

Just as iron filings arrange themselves to articulate a magnetic field that would otherwise be invisible, Blackburn shows us that when we pay proper attention to these tiny animals, their relationships with one another and their connections to the wider web of life, a greater truth about the world gradually emerges. In THE JEWEL BOX, he reflects on what he has learned in thirty years of work as a scientist studying ecosystems, and demonstrates how the contents of one small box can illuminate the workings of all nature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Biology, Ecology, Animals

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2023

Reviews

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jewel Box is an aptly named nonfiction book that uses a humble moth trap as a case study for the myriad relationships and reactions within nature. What can the moths caught inside mean about the invisible forces at work in the natural world? This book aims to answer that question. It's much heavier on the ecology than the moths and feels like a university lecture most of the time...but one I'd go to every single class to experience, ngl.

Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!

[Peter Valenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Tim Blackburn and I will definitely be reading more. The books' stated goal was to use the fascinating biodiversity and characteristics of moths to explain ecological concepts. It was definitely a success. I knew a little about ecology going into this book but learned so much interesting information about ecology and moths. This turned out to be one of my favorite non-fiction books. I highly recommend this book for any non-fiction reader!

[Joe Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

First review secured.
You'd think that would make me write a proper review for once, but you'd be wrong.

[Sembray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Weidenfeld and Nicolson for sending me a proof copy in exchange for an honest review, which you can find below.

As someone who has never understood the broader public's fascination with butterflies and seeming apathy to moths, I was excited to read this book and discover what makes these compelling creatures so important in our ecosystem. However, there is much more to The Jewel Box than that. Blackburn uses the species of moths he captures in a trap on his rooftop terrace in Camden as a prism to explain theories of ecology and how they shape our environment and the weird and wonderful collection of fauna that inhabit it. Everything from the diversity of life in the tropics and the process of speciation to the spread of alien species and the importance of migration in sustaining communities and populations is covered. So as well as meeting a varied cast of characterful moths, this book regales you with enlightening scientific theories delivered in a witty and accessible prose throughout. The concluding chapters also make painfully clear the enormous impact that we as a species are having on these natural processes, many of which are strained almost to the breaking point, as well as solutions that individuals can take to do their part for nature. Overall, this is an enthralling read that is highly recommended for anyone with a broader interest in nature and the science of ecology as well as moth fanatics, a group of which I would definitely consider myself a part of after having consumed this delightful book.

[Sunny Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love it. I have a moth trap and a deep love of moths. The first part of each chapter, devoted to describing an individual moth species was excellent. I found the ecology sections dry and unengaging. I’m not sure equations are necessary outside of textbooks as the concepts were not that difficult to describe.
So I came to a compromise halfway through, and read the first part of the chapters, then skimmed the ecology. Loved the authors passion and knowledge of the natural world.

[伟丽 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm currently studying a Ecology and Conservation Module at uni, thus (although we haven't studied it in the context of moths) all the talk about range shift, species distribution, species sampling etc was fantastic to read and a nice example of what we're learning!

The writing is enjoyable to read, the author candid, funny and still educational and enlightening! He's scientifically minded, and his sources well done.

I truly loved this read and it's inspired me to go poking around my little corner of London for what we've got!

[Glo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book if you like science and moths

[Max Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good overview into ecology and the rules that govern it. does often read quite like a textbook and is somewhat repetitive to make sure the point is taken in

[Snoakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Jewel Box, Tim Blackburn uses the contents of his moth trap to shine a light on the rules that govern ecosystems.

Each chapter starts with a specific moth or two that has turned up in the moth trap. We learn some interesting facts about the moths themselves, before diving deeper into the relationships and interactions between the different species, their predators and their food plants. This then leads into ecological concepts of population dynamics, life history, community structure and migration.

I was expecting a book about moths, but I got a whole lot more about a subject I knew little about, and it was fascinating stuff.

[Emma]

DNF at 50%. Started reading to learn more about moths, got a bit too bogged down with lessons in ecology. While quite a bit of the anecdotes and lessons were interesting, it was more than could hold my attention wholeheartedly after parenting 2 small humans every day. If you’re fascinated by ecology more so than biology, this is the book for you. For me, I’ll probably stick to looking at moth field guides. Sorry Tim, my science and math brain just didn’t develop well enough to hang out through the whole thing.

[Tim Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I know the author so take my review as biased).

I really enjoyed this. It covers two or three undergraduate ecology and evolution modules (without the detail) in a very readable book, tied closely to things we can understand (i.e. moths and moth trapping). I've never run a moth trap and don't know anything about moths. But having it all linked to something so relatable just makes it much more grounded. Even if I don't particularly intend to start moth-trapping, I can totally imagine getting up and finding some moths each day. It just feels real. Compared even to birding, it feels linked to ecology more. As someone who likes birds, I still get very little feel of ecology from them as a person who doesn't explicitly go out birding. And the flux of species and abundance feels very slow. But this book makes it seem like a few months of moth-trapping (after learning to id) would really link to some of these processes.

A useful comparison actually is "How to be a bad bird-watcher". This is the most relatable ecology book I've read since that. But that book was mostly behaviour and taxonomy, while this (as above) is really proper ecology.

So yes, a great book. Incredibly recommended for anyone considering taking biology at undergrad and wants to dip their toes into ecology, or for anyone already taking biology and wanting another angle to reinforce everything they are learning. But also recommended just for anyone who is interested in ecology and how, at the scientific level, we understand how many animals there are of each species, how many species, and where they live.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, I so wanted to enjoy this one, having gotten really hyper focused on caterpillars and moths over the summer. But I just do not have the mental capacity to make it through this. I even tried switching to audio, as I tend to do much better with that these days, but I kind of hate the narrator, who somehow manages to make this even drier than it already was in print. Maybe in the old days before hanging out with two young kids all day every day I could have managed it, but now? Nope! I definitely think there’s a lot of interesting info in here, but…I’m calling it and will try something else on the subject. Maybe one day, in a magical future where I once again actually get enough sleep and alone time to focus, I will try it again?

[Paul Norwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very much about population dynamics, and not quite as much about moths. The problem with that, is that illustrating population dynamics in a narrative fashion can be tedious, which is why diagrams are usually used. Unfortunately, this book has no diagrams. Diagrams from classic studies, a moth family tree would have been good at minimum. The author does a good job of describing his excitement about moth trapping. Get ready to read the words "catholic" and "stochasticity" a lot. I enjoyed the joking references to moths that feed on a variety of herbaceous plants.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professor Tim Blackburn uses the specimens he catches in his moth trap - either on his rooftop in Camden or at his Devon home - to illustrate ecological theories and determine what these could mean for the future of these species.

This was an interesting read and the theories are clearly explained in terms that a novice to theories of population distribution could understand. Personally I would have liked more information about the moths and their environments as this took a back seat to the ecological aspects, and the theories became a bit repetitive at times. However, I can see why Prof Blackburn has taken his approach and he has linked the theoretical and practical together well.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had the potential to be very interesting, but I found myself skimming sections of it to find the next readable section. It gets lost in the minutae of maths and algebra, sometimes for pages at a time, making it a heavy read.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hopeful when I saw this book at the library. I wish I would have liked it more. Too wordy for me and not enough about the moths. The first part of each chapter, devoted to describing an individual moth species was excellent. I read the first part of the chapters, then skimmed the ecology.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful gold cover and in parts an interesting read about moths. I found in parts it was quite repetitive and too in depth about numbers and statistics which isn't for me, id have liked more info on species and types of moths etc. But saying that well written and a lot of work gone into it.

[Giselle]

DNF 9%

[Cynthia Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dry topic but still quite an interesting read!

[milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A bit dry at times, but also frequently interesting.

[Divya · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an ecologist, I was probably not the target audience for this book, but if someone is interested in the study of ecology and ecological concepts of populations, communities, patterns and conservation, this book is not bad. The author uses the wonderful world of moths to illustrate these concepts, and if anything, it’ll get you to acknowledge (maybe even appreciate) moths (and other creatures) in and around your home.

There are a few phrases that feel literary or magical, but otherwise the language is quite generic, which is why I’m not sure it can hold the interest of everyday citizens. These ecological concepts can be written in even simpler and more captivating language.

I read less and less the writings of “white men from western countries”, but I appreciate this author’s honest acknowledgement of it, while humbly urging everyone to care about the world, do their bit, and drive home the message that all life on this unique planet is connected.