Sometimes officially described as part citizen science, part magic, and all parts pure moth joy, we’re purely delighted to return for another night of mothy mayhem across Hillsborough.

Whether you are a curious newcomer or a seasoned moth’er, young or old, join us for an evening of visiting multiple mothing locations in a single night, resulting in the epic achievement of Mothing Your Way Across Hillsborough!

A year has passed since we last gathered around the collecting sheets.

In that time, something has shifted. It feels a little celestial, like starlight traveling billions and billions of miles, reaching us long after it first began its journey. When we look up, we are seeing the past and the present at once. And in our own way, that’s what this return feels like too. We are back, but not the same. We’ve grown. We’ve changed. We’ve undergone metamorphosis.

We summon the light, and the light summons the moths.

Out of the darkness, they come, drawn from hidden places into illumination, into visibility, into presence. And we come too, drawn by curiosity, wonder, and something harder to name but easy to feel once you’re standing there, watching a Luna Moth flutter at the collecting sheet.

There is something quietly magical about it.

Here in the night, the world softens and expands. The darkness reveals rather than conceals. Another version of reality emerges, one that asks us to slow down, to notice, to be an observer: a citizen scientist. The moths connect us to nature, to each other, and to this fleeting moment of shared attention. Their diversity, endless in form, color, and expression, reflects something back to us, too.

This is a space rooted in inclusion, where everyone is truly welcome. Where moths, and the people who love them, are celebrated!

Come as you are, or come transformed. Wings, antennae, sequins, sensible shoes, full cryptid fantasy, or quiet observer: all belong here. Families, children, longtime naturalists, first-time visitors, the boldly expressive and the softly present. This is a gathering that holds space for difference, for curiosity, for connection. There is no judgment here: only invitation.

There is love here. There is presence here.

And for one night, under the glow of gathered light, we get to experience a world that only reveals itself to those willing to step into the dark and see what arrives!