National Moth Week: July 23 – 29, 2012

This week is the first-ever National Moth Week, with a theme of “Exploring Nighttime Nature” and this really terrific logo:


How great is that? It makes us want to head out every night to see what moths are in the night sky! There are lots of moth events scheduled around the country this week, so click on over to the National Moth Week website to find one near you.

To help you prepare for this week of moth fun, we’ve put together a list of some of our more popular moth posts over the last few years. To see all of our moth posts, click here.

Butterflies vs. Moths – Though it’s true that in general, butterflies fly by day and moths by night, that’s not always the case. Learn how to tell the difference between the two by examining antennae, wings, body shape, and more.


Mothing in the Night Garden – Most people don’t realize the incredible diversity of moths haunting their gardens each night. They come in all shapes and sizes, and you can lure many of them in with a few simple tricks. This post discusses sugaring, wine-roping, bright-lights-and-white-sheets, and more ways to find the moths in your garden.

Cocoons – True insect-lovers know that moths spin cocoons, while butterflies pupate in a chrysalis. This post highlights the cocoon of the silkmoth Antheraea polyphemus and discusses the origin of the word.

Toxic: Io Moths and the Great Fun of Urticating Hairs – Io moths are some of the most beautiful of the nighttime fliers, and their caterpillars are fascinating to look at… but painful to touch thanks to the stinging hairs that cover them.

Clothes Eating Insects – Contrary to popular belief, most moths actually aren’t interested in eating your clothes. In this post, we explore the few pesky moth species who cause all the problems.