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Moth Night shows off night shift pollinators
By David Anderson Montes Lara
June 24, 2026 at 3:52 PM EDT
A crowd of insect enthusiasts circled white sheets glowing with black lights at Reedy Creek Nature Center.
The setup was for Moth Night, an event highlighting moths and other nighttime critters that normally don't get noticed.
Lenny Lampel, natural resources supervisor for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, says moth nights are a great chance for people to see insects that are often overlooked and struggling.
“The trend with moths is pretty much the trend with most insect groups right now, and that is that the numbers are just steadily declining.”
That decline matters because moths do more than just flutter around lights at night; as they move from plant to plant after dark, they pollinate them, ultimately doing some of nature’s work while we sleep.
The setup was for Moth Night, an event highlighting moths and other nighttime critters that normally don't get noticed.
Lenny Lampel, natural resources supervisor for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, says moth nights are a great chance for people to see insects that are often overlooked and struggling.
“The trend with moths is pretty much the trend with most insect groups right now, and that is that the numbers are just steadily declining.”
That decline matters because moths do more than just flutter around lights at night; as they move from plant to plant after dark, they pollinate them, ultimately doing some of nature’s work while we sleep.