Night Shift in the Wissahickon: Moths and Moonlight Magic

Education // July 24, 2025

By Kris Soffa, FOW Trail Ambassador

While you’re sleeping each night, the Wissahickon Valley Park is just waking up, as nocturnal creatures large and small perform their nightly rituals. Deer and coyotes set out to complete their appointed rounds, crossing from parkland to neighboring yards and back. Bats and birds take flight. And the park comes alive with velvet-winged moths as the night shift arrives.

This week, the last week in July, is Moth Week: a celebration of moths which play a vital role in our ecosystem. Learn more about Moth Week here.

You might think of moths as butterflies’ dusty cousins, but they outnumber butterflies 10 to 1 and play a vital role in each of our varied park habitats. Moths are our forgotten but critical nighttime pollinators, as up to ten times more moths visit our home gardens and parks than butterflies. These fascinating nighttime creatures often serve as camouflage artists. And their caterpillars? Prime protein for birds, and other wildlife.

Moths thrive in all the habitats of the Wissahickon Valley Park, where native host plants provide shelter, food, and nectar. Moths start as picky caterpillars—like the dreamy Luna moth, whose young feed only on walnut, hickory, and sweetgum trees. Adult Luna moths have no mouth parts and don’t even eat—they live only to mate and lay eggs. Their feathery antennae let the males track the sexy scent of the females. A male Luna can identify and follow the scent trail of a female from the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek, seven miles upstream to Cedar’s House Cafe. Others moths sip nectar, tree sap, or go wild for fermented fruit in my secret recipe 3B Moth Bait (yes, it includes beer).

We often celebrate these nocturnal wonders with a Moth Night event—a national exploration of the wonderful world of moths held in the last week of July. To see moths in the park there are three primary ways to see them. There are a wide variety of species of moths in the Wisshaickon. To see them, you must lure them to you.

My moth luring toolkit includes three kinds of lures so we can observe and release them. Moths are naturally drawn to sources of light due to a phenomenon called positive phototaxis. UV light-rich sources are particularly appealing to moths, as they are highly sensitive to the UltraViolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Scientists think this closely mimics the frequency of moonlight. Other moths are drawn to moth bait, which is painted on tree trunks, made with my 3B recipe, see recipe below.

I use two ultraviolet light lures: a Sheet Lure and a DIY Moth Trap. I blend up a batch of Moth Bait a couple of days before Moth Night and let it ferment in the hot sun, making it irresistible.

After full darkness falls, we sneak up on the lures to see who’s stopped by. Calm, humid, moonless nights are best.

Fun facts:

The Wissahickon is more than a park—it’s a migratory feeding station! Located on the Atlantic Flyway, it’s a critical stopover where migrating birds “fall out” from the sky, exhausted and hungry. What’s on the menu? You guessed it—moths and caterpillars. Protecting, restoring, and preserving this habitat helps

Some moths, like an elegant Sphinx, may even perch on your finger, warming up their wings with a little pre-flight shiver.

Bears really can turn into tigers in the Wissahickon. The adorable Wooly Bear caterpillar transforms into the elegant Isabella Tiger Moth. Wooly Bear caterpillars freeze solid in winter and thaw out come spring.

Moths use scent and vibrations to find mates across long distances. Some mimic wasps, snakes, owls, or bark to avoid predators.

Sheet lures in action. Some make clicking sounds to jam the sonar of bats overtaking them with echolocation.

Catbird checking the moth trap in the morning.
Try checking your porch lights at home or check near lights in the park or make your own lures and see what turns up. Mothing is a great hobby to enjoy with family and friends and is a way to have a fun outdoor nighttime adventure in nature.

My Secret Moth Bait Recipe (Banana, Brown Sugar, Beer Blend)

Ingredients:

• 2–3 very ripe bananas (the riper, the better — blackened is ideal)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 can (12 oz) beer (cheap, dark or light — doesn’t matter)

• Optional: a splash of rum or fruit juice for added fermentation punch

Instructions:

1. Mash bananas thoroughly in a bowl or large jar.

2. Add brown sugar and mix well.

3. Stir in beer and optional rum or juice.

4. Cover loosely and let ferment at room temperature for 1–3 days, stirring occasionally. (Longer = stronger smell = more moths)

5. Once it’s bubbly and pungent, it’s ready to use.

To use:

• Apply with a sponge, paintbrush, or spray bottle to tree trunks, wooden fence posts, or rough bark at dusk.

• Check for moth activity after dark — between 9:30 p.m. and midnight is often peak.

Tips:

• Place bait in shaded or partially wooded areas where moths are active.

• Use a flashlight with a red lens to observe without disturbing them.

To learn more, check out this video I created for FOW!