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I hope this finds you in good health and spirits. It’s been an interesting winter that somehow went by quite fast — about two weeks of winter followed by a sudden fever of summer! It looks like this week we're back to cooler temperatures before evening out into more seasonable weather.
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The recent False Spring, with nighttime temperatures staying well into the 60s after sunset, prompted The Mothia* to venture out into the world to survey late winter moths — and hopefully catch a glimpse of some early spring arrivals! The cover photo was taken at Brumley Forest NP, where we observed an impressive 61 moth species — all before the official arrival of spring!
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In mid-February, I spent a few days at Duke Hospital due to chronic dehydration and electrolyte imbalances caused by my ileostomy, Crohn’s Disease, and Chronic Kidney Disease. My body had been moderately to severely dehydrated for more than a year. The solution, thankfully, is quite simple: I now receive IV hydration at home every other day, and what a difference being fully hydrated makes! My recent blood work shows improvement in kidney function, and the issues I had with my ileostomy have significantly improved.
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This year promises to be an ambitious one for me and the NC Moth Project. I was accepted into the Master Naturalist program, where I’ll be conducting two Impact Projects. The first focuses on developing user-friendly protocols for a leaf miner monitoring project, and the second involves training fellow Master Naturalists to become moth surveyors.
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Our partnership with TLC has expanded to include even more moth nights! We’re planning a special Midnight Mothing event, starting at midnight and running until at least 3 a.m. There’s a completely different moth experience after midnight, with many larger moths and species that only appear deep into the night.
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We’ve also been hard at work planning, coordinating, and collaborating to make this year’s Hillsborough Moth Crawl an amazing, magical, and mystical night of moths and other nocturnal insects. Attendees will visit Blackwood Farm Park, Brumley Forest NP, and Confluence Natural Area, enjoy special activities at each location, and participate in a tie-in workshop to learn all about leaf miners conducted by local leaf miner expert Tracy Feldman.
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As always, John and I are truly grateful, awed, and appreciative of all the love and support you give to our little organization. Together, our shared passion for butterflies, moths, and native plants truly makes a difference in our lives and communities!
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*The Mothia is a local group of moth surveyors
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Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser
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New Plants at Our Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser!
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We’re excited to introduce some new additions to this year’s plant collection! Each of these plants supports pollinators and wildlife in our gardens and beyond:
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Barbara’s Buttons (Marshallia caespitosa) – Delicate, white, poofy flowers similar to the NC native Marshallia obovata. This plant is native to the midwest.
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Stiff Goldenrod – A keystone species supporting over 100 Lepidoptera caterpillars!
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Pointed-leaved Trefoil – Host plant for the Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly.
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Pale Beardtongue – A favorite of carpenter and mason bees, perfect for supporting native pollinators.
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Showy Beardtongue – Host plant for the Chalcedony Midget moth, bringing wildlife right into your garden. This plant is native to the midwest.
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All new plants will be available for $5 each during our spring plant sale fundraiser. Don’t miss the chance to add these beautiful and ecologically valuable plants to your garden!
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Online Pre-Sale Coming Soon!
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Spring Plant Sale Pre-Sale is Coming!
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After months of careful tending, the plants we began germinating back in mid-November are now just weeks away from being ready for their forever homes. This year’s collection includes many keystone native favorites, including multiple species of goldenrods, asters, rudbeckias, helianthus, and vernonias, along with mountain mints, wood mints, and of course everyone’s favorite: milkweeds.
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Pre-Sale Dates: April 1 – April 15
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During the pre-sale, you’ll be able to shop a selection of this year’s plants online and reserve your favorites before the in-person sale begins. Quantities will be limited, and items will not be restocked once they sell out, since our primary sale happens in person.
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Pick-Up Information
All pre-sale orders can be scheduled for pick-up on May 2 & 3; 9 & 10; May 17. All pick-up times are restricted to 3:00 - 5:00 PM on all dates.
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Browse & Build Your Wishlist Now
Our online shop is already open for browsing, so you can explore this year’s plant collection and start making a wishlist before the pre-sale begins.
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Moth Nights with TLC at Brumely NP
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We’re excited to announce the 2026 Moth Night series in partnership with TLC at Brumley!
Thanks to the incredible enthusiasm and participation we saw last year, we’ve expanded our schedule into a year-long series of Moth Nights. This means more opportunities to experience the diversity of moths throughout the seasons and to watch how their communities change from early spring through early fall.
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Early season events offer a special treat: the chance to see “limited-time-only” early spring species that disappear as the year progresses. As the months unfold, participants can observe how shifting temperatures, plant growth, and seasonal transitions influence which moths are active and abundant.
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This expanded series is also a great way to build skills and confidence with nocturnal observation ahead of the upcoming Hillsborough Moth Crawl Grand Moth’er Challenge.
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Whether you’re brand new to mothing or already hooked, each gathering is an opportunity to learn, share discoveries, and deepen your appreciation for these remarkable nocturnal insects.Most of all, Moth Nights are about feeling the magic and pondering the mystery of moths—watching the sheets come alive with color, pattern, and movement as the night unfolds.
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Registration is required for all Moth Night events through TLC. We hope you’ll join us under the lights this year!
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Our first Moth Night of the year at TLC at Brumley is coming up on March 28, and we’re excited to welcome everyone back for another season of mothing together!
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The recent stretch of warm weather brought out impressive numbers of moths, including a few early arrivals we don’t always expect to see this soon. Even though we’re heading into another cold spell this week, early spring can be chaotically unpredictable—we’re hopeful that the warmth will return just in time for the 28th so we can spend an evening communing and observing with the moths.
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Early-season mothing is always a bit magical. Some species only fly for a short window in early spring, making these first gatherings of the year a special opportunity to see moths that won’t be around later in the season.
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Whether you’re brand new to mothing or returning after last year’s wonderful events, we hope you’ll join us for a night of discovery, curiosity, and quiet wonder under the lights.Registration is required through TLC.
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Our April 25 Moth Night at Brumley Forest Nature Preserve will be the second gathering in our year-long series of Moth Nights at the Preserve, and by late April the night skies will be noticeably more active.
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As spring progresses, we begin seeing some familiar and much-loved species return to the lights, including the Garden Tortrix, the Grateful Midget, and—if we’re lucky—possibly even an early Luna moth.
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This event offers a wonderful chance to see just how quickly things change in the moth world compared to the March Moth Night. In only four weeks we typically see greater species diversity, larger numbers of certain moths, and the exciting appearance of FOYs—“First of the Year” sightings as new species begin their seasonal flights. It’s one of the most fascinating parts of spring mothing: watching the community shift and grow week by week as new moths emerge and join the nighttime chorus at the lights.
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Support Our Missions
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Your contribution helps us fulfill our missions of providing education, community outreach, and assistance in creating backyard butterfly and moth friendly habitats.
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