Inaugural Texas moth festival – Mega Moth Mission
I’m excited to announce a moth festival at the National Butterfly Center (NBC) in Mission, Texas, a 100-acre private nature reserve in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). The festival will take place over the 2023 Labor Day Weekend, Sep 1-4. The website at the end of this post contains all the details, but I can summarize the happenings here.
As you might expect from a diverse biological area like the LRGV, moth and other nocturnal insect species numbers are quite high. At the same time, the area is very under-mothed, which opens the door for exciting discoveries. Ten or more moth sheets and numerous bait logs will be set up at NBC during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Additionally, a close-by sister property with different habitat, Pixie Preserve, will be available for mothing on Sunday night.
But wait, there’s more! Guest speakers, including Chuck Sexton (@gcwarbler), a moth expert in central Texas and a top mentor for me, and Kate Farkas (@k8thegr8), who is a royal in the caterpillar and host plant knowledge world. Night hike, bird walk, photography workshop, butterflies, keynote speaker’s dinner, native plants for moths, caterpillar workshop…
Please attend and help make this event a success so it can be an annual occurrence!
Comments
I'm planning on driving down there. Do you need my moth lights/sheets for the event?
Generally speaking, the more the merrier on sheets. I'm not sure exactly what they're trying to do on any limitations on where you can set up. But they did ask in their recent web post that you contact them if you are going to bring a sheet. Let me know if you need more info and I'll reach out to them.
Presumably you take your setup with you no matter what, which might be good if you want to pop over to other Valley areas for mothing on either side of the festival.
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Hey folks, still time to join for Mega Moth, the inaugural Texas Moth Festival. Please pass on to anyone else you feel might be interested as we try to make this an annual event. Hope to see you there... Jack
https://megamoth.org/index.php
This sounds like a blast, but I don't think I'll be able to make it down there. Maybe next year!
@leahn19 and @annainok and @zdufran and @okla_photographer and @rdparker If you're up for a road trip from Oklahoma to Texas that ends with moths...
https://megamoth.org/index.php
Not a good time for me, but mothing events are always fun! I have been planning on doing one in my backyard this summer but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Wish I could, but I’m traveling over Labor Day weekend. Tag me in the next one, though!
Would love to be there, but a new puppy arrives this week and will be too young to travel or board! :)
I hope I can be there. What fun!
Putting it on my calendar!
I would LOVE to be there, but I'm going to McAllen around that time for the Texas Master Naturalist meeting and can't afford two trips so close together. Will put it on my calendar for next year though!! Wishing you all the best!!
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