7th Annual Moth Night
Saturday, July 19, 2025
8:30 pm to 11:30 pm

7th Annual Moth Night
Saturday, July 19, 2025
8:30 pm to 11:30 pm

Welcome to Annual Moth Night

Launched in 2019, our Annual Moth Night has become a welcoming introduction to the glowing world of mothing—an all-ages, all-skills, mercury vapor light powered journey into nocturnal nature.

The evening begins with a brief PowerPoint presentation designed to guide newcomers through the basics: what equipment is used, how to get started, which field guides and apps are helpful, and what fascinating creatures you’re likely to spot on the collecting sheets.

Seasoned moth’ers who already speak the language of LepiLEDs and pheromones are welcome to skip the presentation and flutter in after 9:00 PM—just in time for start of moth activity.

Bring a camera or smartphone, sign up for a free iNaturalist account, and upload your nighttime discoveries to contribute to citizen science. Join the official Moth Night project to enter our contest and you might win a limited-edition Moth Night t-shirt—perfect for impressing friends, neighbors, and possibly Mothman himself.

Though the event officially ends at 11:30, we’ll keep the lights on as long as people want to observe.

Planning Your Moth Night

Registration Check-in

  • Opens at 8:00 PM

What Should I Bring to Moth Night?

  • A flashlight or headlamp so you can see (and not step on a beetle)

  • A comfy chair to settle in for your moth-watching session

  • Your favorite non-alcoholic beverage and snacks (moth-watching is better with chips)

  • A camera and/or field guide to ID your fluttery finds

How Should I Dress?

  • Wear closed-toe sturdy shoes. No sandals or flip-flops.

  • Wear long pants, snug fitting shirts to keep insects from tickling your skin!

  • Consider applying insect repellent

Want to level up your Moth Night experience? Join our Moth Night Contest and become part of something bigger—a community-powered citizen science effort that helps researchers learn more about the moths and nocturnal insects that share our world.

Why participate?

  • Contribute to science through observations submitted to iNaturalist

  • Learn how to photograph moths (and spiders, beetles, and other night visitors) at the collecting sheets

  • Sharpen your ID skills and discover the fascinating world of nighttime biodiversity

  • And of course—have fun!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Bring your phone or camera and photograph what you find.

  2. You’ll need access to the iNaturalist website or app—don’t worry if you’re new to it; we’ll help!

  3. Focus on taking clear photos during the event.

  4. You have one full week after the event to upload your images—so enjoy the night and upload later!

Categories for 2025

• Most Observations

• Most Moth Species

• Most Not Moth Species

Contest Prize

All winners will receive this year’s limited edition Moth Night T-shirt in their preferred size. Winners will be contacted through their iNaturalist account and will have 5 business days to respond to accept their award and provide contact information.

Official Moth Night Merch

This year’s limited edition Moth Night t-shirt stars the one and only Luna Moth—ethereal, glowing, and absolutely iconic. Allow 10-14 days for your stylish new T-shirt to be printed just for you and shipped to your address. Hurry! This T-shirt is only available through July 31, 2025!

Free Registration Opens June 19

Moth Night registration opens June 19 and closes July 12—or sooner if we run out of parking spots for your mothmobiles! Due to space limits, we can’t offer a waitlist or add extra spots, so grab your slot before it flutters away!

Making a donation does not generate a registration or reserve a space for you at the event

iNaturalist Contest Rules & Eligibility Requirements

📋 Prize Eligibility & Submission Guidelines
  • To participate, entrants must join the 7th Annual Moth Night project on iNaturalist. Only observations submitted through this project will be considered.

  • Only attendees of the 7th Annual Moth Night event are eligible to win prizes.

  • Each participant may win only one prize. If someone qualifies in multiple categories, they will receive the prize for the highest-ranking category, and the runner-up(s) will be awarded.

  • Eligible observations must:

    • Feature insects or spiders

    • Be taken at a designated host location

    • Be captured during official event hours

  • All submissions must be uploaded to iNaturalist by July 26, 2025 to qualify.

📷 Photography Guidelines
  • No professional equipment required! Phone cameras are perfectly suitable for most moths.
  • For very small (micro) moths, we recommend using a clip-on macro lens for clearer images.
  • We strongly recommend cropping your photos to highlight the insect or spider clearly. Clear, well-lit, and focused images—especially those that are tightly cropped—help iNaturalist’s AI make better preliminary identifications. Since contest winners are determined by the number of different species observed, improving identification accuracy gives you a better chance to win!
  • Accurate species identification is not required. iNaturalist’s preliminary AI suggestions are sufficient—your observation will still count even if the exact species isn’t designated Research Grade.
📣 Winner Notification
  • Winners will be contacted through either their iNaturalist account, or by the email account used to register.

  • Winners must respond within 5 calendar days to confirm acceptance and provide a mailing address.

  • Winners will be announced publicly through the media channels of Backyard Butterflies and the NC Moth Project.

⚠️ Additional Terms

  • All prizes are subject to availability and may be substituted with a comparable item if necessary.

Contact US

Some icons may not be hyperlinked on a desk or laptop computer.

Text

(919) 241-7865
Our preferred method of contact

Text

Our preferred method of contact

Email

hello@backyardbutterflies.org
When a slower response is ok

Email

When a slower response is ok

Phone

(919) 241-7865
Please leave a voice message

Phone

Please leave a voice message