Save the nighttime for interesting night-flying insects

A Dot-lined White Moth on a moth sheet. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)

Published July 11, 2026, in the McAllen Monitor

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist

National Moth Week 2026 is July 18-26. This year’s global event goes beyond moths with the theme Exploring Nighttime Nature.

Anyone can attract interesting nighttime moths and other insects, which is what the event is all about: citizens photographing and sharing observations via platforms, such as iNaturalist.org and Project Noah.

The simplest way to entice night flying insects is to drape a white bed sheet over a low-hanging tree limb or a portable table in your yard and light up a black light to shine next to the sheet.

You might even attract a unicorn -- a Texas Unicorn Mantis, that is:

Texas Unicorn Mantis. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)

For more information about National Moth Week 2026, and how to attract night flying insects, visit: www.nationalmothweek.org

There are 160,000 moth species worldwide, 12,000 in North America, 4,700 species recorded in Texas and possibly 2,000 moth species documented in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

South Texas also has an estimated 30,000 species of insect, making it the most diverse insect population in the nation, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Website. A tally of how many species are night-flyers continues to grow, with citizen scientist programs like the annual moth week that documents winged things of the night, helping entomologists to know more about the unique biodiversity of the Rio Grande Valley. Everyone can help.

The biggest moth in Texas is the famed good luck moth, the black witch moth that has a wingspan of seven inches. I use a white light headlamp to counter the black light ultra violet rays, which allow me to study and photograph the moths and insects that land on the sheet during the night. I photograph them using my phone camera.

The black witch moth, with a white light directed onto it, is not all black but has an artful array of scales in colors ranging from brown to blue, purple and gold. The female is different from the male, she has a scalloped, iridescent white or pinkish band crossing her open wings. Females are overall lighter than males. Both sexes can flash hints of iridescent purple, pink or blue and have comma-shaped eyespots on their forewings. A rustic sphinx moth is a close second with a wingspan of six inches and a not so common owl moth has a wingspan up to five and a half inches.

Male Black Witch Moth. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)

Female Black Witch Moth. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)

Moths of all sizes and in a variety of colors, with interesting designs marking their wing features, are attracted to lights at night. So too, are other night flying insects, like dragonflies, katydids, fun and scary beetles in all shapes, sizes and colors; good looking and interesting bugs like Texas bull legged bugs, robber flies, soldier flies, lightening bugs, tiger beetles, spiders, mosquitoes, stink bugs, assassin bugs, grasshoppers even cicadas and other fascinating creatures with clever names will visit moth sheets along with common and rare moths.

A section of the back of a moth sheet showing a variety of moths and other night-flying insects. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)

Below, top row from left, a rare visitor to the Rio Grande Valley, a Sky-pointing Moth in olive green, purple, orange and pink coloring rested on a palm trunk above the moth sheet; also unusual visitors, Ernestine's Moth and Harnessed Tiger Moth.

Bottom row from left, somewhat regular visitors are Rustic Sphinx, Carolina Sphinx and a colorful Orange-spotted Flower Moth. (Photos by Anita Westervelt)

Other interesting critters, like Mexican tree toads, Gulf Coast toads, and geckos, even opossums and armadillos will show up, looking for a good meal.

Mexican Tree Toad on a wall behind a moth sheet. (Photo by Anita Westervelt)

Mothing is a cornucopia of free entertainment, easy to set up at home and invite your friends. For a tutorial on setting up a mothing and night flying insect station, visit this link: https://www.stbctmn.org/post/mothing

In addition, many local nature parks have special summer night activities. Contact your favorite park to find scheduled events. Take a flashlight. A short list follows.

STEC After Dark, South Texas Ecotourism Center, 501 W. State Highway 100, Laguna Vista, 956-772-0210. Hours are extended to 10 p.m. on July 15, and July 29 for evening/night hiking, live invertebrate presentations, black light mothing. Bring your own flashlights. Free.

Quinta Mazatlán, McAllen, 956-681-3370, July 18, 2026, 9 p.m. - midnight. Mothing By Moonlight: mothing stations, dimly lit trail, arts & crafts, bat detector; bring a flashlight. $5.

National Butterfly Center, 956-583-5400; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. S’mores & Moths Event, every 3rd Friday during the summer.

South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center 956-761-6801, Glow Night Moth Night, Saturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. $7.

Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, Night Rides, Friday, July 24, 8 p.m., Moth and insect Light Trapping, Saturday July 18 and July 25, at 8 p.m.

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