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

"Interesting, informative and well-structured . . . an excellent book . . . brilliant. The author has taken a subject and tackled it with zeal" - THE TELEGRAPH

"Engrossing . . . [An] enchanting book, which not only celebrates moths but provides an introduction to the basic ideas of ecology and the study of the natural world" - DAILY MAIL

"An utter delight. A lucid introductory course in ecology . . . [Blackburn] deftly reveals some fundamental mechanisms of life on earth" - TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

"The moths in Blackburn's jewel box are like Blake's grain of sand: gems to be treasured not only for their beauty, but for the way their brilliance, captured during the dark of night, casts light on the complex whole of living nature . . . Nature lovers in search of a new hobby may be inspired to invest in a moth trap of their own" - NATURAL HISTORY magazine

"[An] excellent primer on ecology . . . a book that will appeal to those who have a fascination with moths and want to understand the world in which they live. Blackburn's passion for the subject makes this a digestible entrée into nature's workings" - THE BIOLOGIST

"This is an entertaining book that can appeal to a variety of readers. Moth enthusiasts will be thrilled to see their group used as a model to explain the fundamentals of ecology . . . This book is a testimony of the value of biodiversity and a silent warning of the unforgivable loss we are experiencing" - Community Ecology