A plastic box with a lightbulb attached may seem like an odd birthday present. But for ecologist Tim Blackburn, a moth trap is a captivating window into the world beyond the roof terrace of his London flat. Whether gaudy or drab, rare or common, each moth ensnared by the trap is a treasure with a story to tell. In The Jewel Box, Blackburn introduces these mysterious visitors, revealing how the moths he catches reflect hidden patterns governing the world around us. 

With names like the Dingy Footman, Jersey Tiger, Pale Mottled Willow, and Uncertain, and at least 140,000 identified species, moths are fascinating in their own right. But no moth is an island—they are vital links in the web of life. Through the lives of these overlooked insects, Blackburn introduces a landscape of unseen ecological connections. The flapping of a moth’s wing may not cause a hurricane, but it is closely tied to the wider world, from the park down the street to climatic shifts across the globe. 

Through his luminous prose and infectious sense of curiosity, Blackburn teaches us to see—and respect—the intricate web of nature in which we’re all caught. The Jewel Box shows us how the contents of one small box can illuminate the workings of all nature. 

Tim Blackburn is Professor of Invasion Biology at University College London. Previously, he was the Director of the Institute of Zoology, the research arm of the Zoological Society of London, where he still has a research affiliation. He has been awarded Honorary Professorships at the Universities of Adelaide, Birmingham and Oxford, been named an Honorary Research Associate at the Centre of Excellence in Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch, and been an invited plenary speaker at numerous international conferences. His work in the 1990s with Kevin Gaston helped to define the newly emerging field of macroecology – the study of large-scale patterns in the distribution and abundance of species – and he has since gone on to make substantial contributions to the science of biological invasions. His own writing has appeared in The Biologist and The Conversation, and his findings have been covered by (amongst others) PBS, the BBC’s Inside Science and Countryfile, The Guardian, Telegraph, and Evening Standard, Metro, The National (UAE),  India Times, Republic (India), Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), Publimetro (Mexico), Irish Times, and ABC (Australia).

Introduction: The Moth Trap
Chapter 1. The Gypsy Moth: The Power of Reproduction
Chapter 2. Footmen: The Consequences of Limited Resources
Chapter 3. The Oak Eggar: When Consumers Become the Consumed
Chapter 4. The Codling and The Goat: Live Fast and Die Young, or Linger On?
Chapter 5. The Uncertain: Living Together in Communities
Chapter 6. The Silver Y: The Importance of Migrants
Chapter 7. The Poplar Hawk-moth: Diversification and What Drives It 
Chapter 8. The Box-tree and The Stout Dart: How Ecology Is Now Humanity
Chapter 9. The Acer Sober: Conclusion
Sources
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author