The Hillsborough Moth Crawl
Description
Summon the Light: Reconvene with the Moths
Sometimes officially described as part citizen science, part magic, and all parts pure moth joy, we’re purely delighted to return for another night of mothy mayhem across Hillsborough.
Whether you are a curious newcomer or a seasoned moth’er, young or old, join us for an evening of visiting multiple mothing locations* in a single night, resulting in the epic achievement of Mothing Your Way Across Hillsborough!
A year has passed since we last gathered around the collecting sheets.
In that time, something has shifted. It feels a little celestial, like starlight traveling billions and billions of miles, reaching us long after it first began its journey. When we look up, we are seeing the past and the present at once. And in our own way, that’s what this return feels like too. We are back, but not the same. We’ve grown. We’ve changed. We’ve undergone metamorphosis.
We summon the light, and the light summons the moths.
Out of the darkness, they come, drawn from hidden places into illumination, into visibility, into presence. And we come too, drawn by curiosity, wonder, and something harder to name but easy to feel once you’re standing there, watching a Luna Moth flutter at the collecting sheet.
There is something quietly magical about it.
Here in the night, the world softens and expands. The darkness reveals rather than conceals. Another version of reality emerges, one that asks us to slow down, to notice, to be an observer: a citizen scientist. The moths connect us to nature, to each other, and to this fleeting moment of shared attention. Their diversity, endless in form, color, and expression, reflects something back to us, too.
This is a space rooted in inclusion, where everyone is truly welcome. Where moths, and the people who love them, are celebrated!
Come as you are, or come transformed. Wings, antennae, sequins, sensible shoes, full cryptid fantasy, or quiet observer: all belong here. Families, children, longtime naturalists, first-time visitors, the boldly expressive and the softly present. This is a gathering that holds space for difference, for curiosity, for connection. There is no judgment here: only invitation.
There is love here. There is presence here.
And for one night, under the glow of gathered light, we get to experience a world that only reveals itself to those willing to step into the dark and see who arrives!
—> REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE OFFICIAL HILLSBOROUGH MOTH CRAWL SWAG, BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTEST PRIZES, AND IMPORTANT WEATHER UPDATES <—
Plan Your Moth Crawl Visit
- Planning Your Visit
The Moth Crawl has expanded for 2026, with a new location* and thoughtful enhancements to make the night even more immersive, accessible, and delightfully mothy!
Our moth-tastic hosting venues this year are:
Through our partnerships with multiple organizations, we’re able to welcome the growing community of people who feel the call to gather, wander, and commune with the moths!
As always, each location will have experienced volunteers on hand to help identify moths and the many other nocturnal visitors that appear on the collecting sheets. Whether you’re hoping to name what you see or simply appreciate it, there will always be someone nearby to guide and share in the moment.
- How to Moth Your Way Across Hillsborough
Registration check-in opens at 8:00 PM at all locations. While we wait for the moths to arrive, select venues will offer activities to ease us into the evening and deepen the experience. For those participating in the iNaturalist Contest or the Grand Moth’er Challenge, you’re welcome to begin at 8:00 PM as well, making use of the last light of day before the nocturnal world fully takes over.
- Stamp Cards & Swag
Our Official Stamp Cards are back for 2026, with a small twist! This year, everyone receives their swag at registration. No need to earn your bumper sticker by visiting every location. Instead, your Stamp Card becomes part of the experience itself. Collect stamps as you visit different locations, and if you complete your card, you receive one entry into a drawing for a special edition Hillsborough Moth Crawl T-shirt. It’s s little souvenir that might become a T-shirt!
- CLAWS — Frenemies, A Love Story at Blackwood Farm Park
NEW FOR 2026! — Our beloved local wildlife rehabilitation and animal rescue organization, CLAWS, will join us with a parliament of owls and other nocturnal birds at Blackwood Farm Park. Moth Crawlers will have the chance to learn about owls, hawks, and falcons and how these "frenemies" have a role in the ecosystem, just like moths. Of course everybody's favorite corvids, Grip and Lark, will also be on hand - literally - as you can hold one or both birds on your arm!
- NCES at the Confluence Natural Area
At Confluence Natural Area, the North Carolina Entomological Society will host a family-friendly, hands-on activity focused on the fascinating world of insects, perfect for curious minds while we await the first moths to arrive at the collecting sheets.
Sponsorships
- Help Us Keep the Lights On
The Moth Crawl has always run on passion, volunteer hours, and the sheer collective will of people who really, really love moths. This year we are adding something new: a formal sponsorship program for individuals, businesses, organizations, and groups who want to help sustain this event and everything it stands for. Sponsors receive exclusive swag and perks as our way of saying thank you for keeping the lights on, literally! Full details on sponsorship tiers are available on our website.
Moth Crawl Merch
- The Official 2026 Hillsborough Moth Crawl Spokes-Moth!
Introducing Automeris io, the Io Moth! A reminder that the moth world is full of color, wonder, and drama beyond the Luna and Rosy Maple (we love them too, we promise). We chose the Io Moth because those eyespots — dreamy, starry, nebulous — look like they were pulled straight from a galaxy. We are captivated, and once you see this design, you will be too!
This year, we collaborated with Jade Shepard of the Perpetual Pen , an artist who exists in the rare space where scientific precision and pure magic overlap. Jade has a gift for capturing both the finest details and the greater soul of her subjects, rendering the natural world in a way that is at once breathtakingly true to life and somehow fantastical. Her work radiates curiosity and wonder: you can feel her deep love for and connection to nature, and her hunger to truly know every creature she recreates. And moths? Moths are her people! It was only right that she bring our 2026 Spokes-moth to life!
Contests
- A Friendly Citizen Science Competition
The iNaturalist Contest is designed for anyone eager to take part in citizen science, whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or just getting started. Through iNaturalist, your observations become part of a growing shared dataset—one that has already proven remarkable. Last year alone, participants recorded over 3,000 observations and documented 578 species from just 44 observers. It’s an extraordinary collective effort, and to recognize it, we offer some seriously mothy prize packages worthy of Mothman’s approval.
Learn more and enter the iNaturalist Contest on our website.
MOTH CRAWL EXCLUSIVE
- Custom Workshop Open to All Moth Crawlers
Offered as both a resource for the Grand Moth'er Challenge and an invitation for all Moth Crawlers to look closer, this workshop explores leaf miners as one of the most fascinating,and often overlooked, aspects of our beloved MOTHS!
Title: Who’s Been Drawing on the Leaves?: An Introduction to Leaf Miners
Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
Time: 9 am — Noon
Instructor: Tracy Feldman
Location: Durant Nature PreserveLimit: 15 people
Ever notice those squiggly lines on leaves, as if something has been drawing or writing across the surface? It’s enough to make you wonder: who’s responsible? A sentient cryptid? An extra-terrestrial Banksy? The reality is just as fascinating!Imagine starting you life in the ultimate living escape room: you’re a microscopic caterpillar inside of a leaf, where the only way out is to eat your way through! As these tiny caterpillars tunnel through plant tissue, they leave behind the intricate patterns we see — and often a trail of frass!
Join local expert Tracy Feldman for an engaging introduction to leaf miners, including both moth and fly species, along with a bonus look at wasp galls. The workshop begins with a short indoor session covering what these organisms are, how they live, and how to recognize their signs. Then we’ll head outside to find leaf mines and galls in the field and practice observing them up close.
About the Instructor
Tracy S. Feldman is an ecologist and educator originally from the Northeastern United States, with a lifelong interest in natural history. He began studying leaf-mining insects in 2015 and has worked with Charley Eiseman and others to document new host records, new state records, and new species of leaf miners. He spent approximately 14 years as a college biology professor and has worked since 2023 as an environmental educator and Assistant Manager of Durant and Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserves with the City of Raleigh. He enjoys sharing the wonders of nature with anyone who is curious to learn more.
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