National Moth Week: Time to Wrap It Up

Well, folks, this is it: The final day of National Moth Week 2019. Thanks for following along with us as we explored these flying beauties that help make this planet such a great place to hang out.

Their role in diverse ecosystems benefits so many other species, from the many native plants they pollinate to the songbirds that feed them to their young. And their beautiful presence certainly provides humans joy when, say, a huge green Luna moth flutters across a summer porch or a dainty Ornate Bella moth skitters underfoot in the grass.

There’s still so much to be learned about the moth world. For example, it was thought for years that only one moth pollinated the legendary ghost orchids of the Everglades, but earlier this month National Geographic shared news about a variety of sphinx moths slurping nectar from the blooms.

If you haven’t had a chance to go moth hunting yet, there’s still time. According to National Moth Week, “Studying moths at night is as simple as turning on a porch light and waiting for them to come, or shining a light on a white sheet in a backyard or park.” Visit the NMW website for more tips on attracting moths.

Please consider sharing your sightings as a contribution to citizen science. Last year, the National Moth Week project on iNaturalist racked up more than 28,000 observations from more than 5,000 people in 24 registered countries and every state in the U.S. An impressive 3,548 moth species were observed and identified. Let’s see if 2019 can top that tally.
In addition to the iNaturalist project, National Moth Week has a list of several projects where observations are welcomed. And, let’s all plan ahead for 2020, when National Moth Week will be held July 18-26.

National Moth Week is a project of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission (Friends of EBEC), a 501c-3 nonprofit organization, and has been held annually since 2012. Want to help support the cause? Check out the fun merch EBEC is selling!