It's National Moth Week!

It's National Moth Week, and we're excited to shine a light on some of our desert's most underappreciated residents. Did you know that over 2,800 species of moths have been documented in Arizona? That's an astounding diversity, right here in our own backyard.

While butterflies often steal the show during daylight hours, moths are the unsung heroes of our desert ecosystem, quietly working the night shift when most of us are fast asleep. They are important nocturnal pollinators, helping our cactus, datura, and other night-blooming plants to reproduce. Many of our desert plants evolved with specific relationships with moths, such as the yucca flower.

More than just pollinators, moths are also a crucial part of the desert food chain. Many bird species time their breeding seasons around moth abundance, to feed these protein-packed insects to their chicks. Bats, nighthawks, and spiders all rely on moths as a primary food source, forming the basis for a nocturnal food web.

This week, we encourage you to discover the moth magic happening in your own space! Consider leaving a porch light on for a while after sunset, or try the old trick of hanging a white sheet near a light source—you might be amazed at the variety of visitors that appear. For more tips on moth observation and identification, check out the resources at nationalmothweek.org.

We'd love to hear about your moth encounters! What fuzzy friends have you spotted this week?