Become a citizen scientist as National Moth Week flutters across N.C.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — North Carolina has embarked on a week-long celebration of all things moth.

From Saturday, July 19–Sunday, July 27, the night-flying insects are the focus of National Moth Week, a global effort to encourage citizen science through the documentation of moths.

The annual project is organized by the New Jersey environmental nonprofit Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, but has expanded to include nature centers, science museums and arboretums around the world. According to the National Moth Week website, in 2024, National Moth Week participants contributed 2.3 million moth observations across 80 different countries.

There are several official “mothing,” or “the practice of attracting, observing, photographing, identifying and documenting moths for enjoyment or scientific study,” events going on around Western North Carolina this week. For a full list of registered National Moth Week outings, visit www.nationalmothweek.org/event-map.

However, participating in National Moth Week can be as simple as mothing in your own backyard.

Science Across NC, a collective of 30 N.C. science-based organizations, suggests the following steps for at-home mothing:

1. Find a place to make observations of moths. Find a place that you can visit safely at night between July 19 and July 27.
2. Turn on some lights. Any lights will do, but if you want to attract even more species of moths, use a UV bulb or light fixture.
3. Take photos of as many species as you can find with the iNaturalist smartphone app or use a camera. You do not need to know how to identify the moths you see. The app or website will help you.
4. Submit your observations through the iNaturalist website or app. All observations must be uploaded to iNaturalist by Sunday, August 3.

There have already been over 1,500 N.C. moth observations recorded with iNaturalist. Check them out here.

Have you snapped any moth pictures during National Moth Week? Share them with us at news@828newsNOW.com.

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