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It's National Moth Week!
Come by and check out our illuminated moth sheet and learn about the moths and other nocturnal insects that call Sagamok home! Plus, identify bats in real time with our acoustic monitoring equipment!
Communities around the globe come together during National Moth Week to celebrate the beauty, diversity, and ecological importance of moths. Join participants of all ages to contribute valuable data that helps scientists better understand these fascinating insects. https://nationalmothweek.org/
📅 Date: Thursday, July 30, 2026
🕘 Time: 9:00PM – 10:30PM
📍 Location: MEC Soccer Field
What is Mothing and National Moth Week?
Mothing is the practice of attracting, observing, photographing, identifying, and documenting moths for enjoyment or scientific study.
National Moth Week is an annual, global event that invites people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the mothing hobby, by sharing photos of moths they find for citizen science.
These contributions help researchers study moth diversity, distribution, and ecology worldwide!
Mothing 101
Lighting
Set up can be as easy as turning on a porch light and seeing what visits or casting bright light onto a white sheet in a chosen area.
Helpful Tips
- Using a white bed sheet draped over a tree limb or hung up across two posts makes a perfect landing pad for moths.
- Black Light is preferred among hobbyists and seems to attract the most insects, but any bright light will work
Taking a Photo
Once a moth has landed, wait a bit and let them settle and snap a photo with a camera or your phone. Be sure the moths have identifiable features shown in the photos and good lighting.
Helpful Tips
- Be sure the moths have identifiable features in the photo
- Use a flash to ensure there is plenty of light
- Make sure the moth is the only thing in the photo so identification is easier
Upload
Upload your photos to our partner databases to have them identified and added to the database for moth research. You’re officially a citizen scientist!
Helpful Tips
- iNat allows you to upload from your phone in the field. Just download the app and check out their tutorial.
- Project Noah allows you to upload photos in a new easy to use site, on the missions page for Moth Week.
- Niibaakamigizi: S/he is active at night (animate intransitive verb)
- Niibaa-: Nocturnal / at night (prefix used in compound words like niibaabatoo "s/he runs at night" or niibaabizo "s/he drives at night")
- Bat is bapakwaanaajiinh (also spelled apakwaanaajiinh)
- Dibikad: It is night / it is dark
- Moth is called gookowensii (singular) or gookowensiig (plural). Another regional or variant term used in some communities is animikiiwidikom
- Manidoons: A general word for a bug, insect, or little spirit.
- Memengwaa: Butterfly.
- Gookooko'oo: Owl
Source: Ojibwe People's Dictionary, National Moth Week
https://nationalmothweek.org/partners/
For more information about the event, please contact Chevaun Toulouse at 705-863-0169.
