Blacklighting Events in Greater Houston Area
I'm happy (because mothing makes me happy) to share a series of blacklighting events in the Greater Houston Area for July, moth month! All events are free and open to the public. If you know of others, please let me know.
July 1 and August 5 - Saturday - Sunset to 10p
Monthly Moth Night at Exploration Green
16203 Diana Ln, Houston, TX 77062 (park in main parking lot and walk downhill)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=120329&subview=map
July 8 - Saturday - 8:15p to 11p
Night-critter Bioblitz at Russ Pitman Park (Nature Discovery Center)
7112 Newcastle St, Bellaire, TX 77401
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=161748&subview=map
July 15 - Saturday - 8p to 10p
Meet Your Nighttime Neighbors at Sugar Land Memorial Park
15300 University Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77479
Park in the main parking lot, then follow the tables and blacklight stations along walking paths to the Butterfly Garden at the windmill.
July 22 - Saturday - 8p to 11p
Lawther-Deer Park Prairie
1222 E. Purdue Lane, Deer Park 77536
Register here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10AF7XxRRHOnIzb2iDukr0znABGEBtxvHrXIUXm_iqJ0/edit?usp=sharing
Please park on the school side of the street, not in front of neighbors' homes.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=deer-park-prairie-biodiversity&subview=map
July 29 - Saturday - 9p to 11p
Trinity River NWR
601 FM 1011, Liberty, TX
I look forward to seeing/meeting you at one or more of these!
Comments
@dirtnkids @rich452 @sonorabee @parahuaco @scottbuckel @sambiology @ajmathews @cintylee @waystation1067 @stuartmarcus @johnschneider @franpfer @krancmm @dan_johnson @laurenjansensimpson
I will be having the Trinity River Refuge Moth Night Out Event on Saturday, July 29 starting at 9:00 pm til 11:00 pm as part of National Moth Week. We are located in Liberty County at 601 FM 1011, Liberty, TX.
Stuart J. Marcus
stuart.marcus13@gmail.com
Gosh I wish I could come to these!!! Alas, we're loaded up with black-lighting events up here in DFW. I'll be there in spirit for your events though. :)
Thanks for the heads up. I will try to make it out to the July 15 event in Sugar Land.
@stuartmarcus - Thanks, Stuart! I'll plan to attend!
Thanks @rednat! May see you next Saturday.
@waystation1067 - Looking forward to meeting you!
@sambiology - Gosh, wish I could be at one of your events! You're always welcome here. Folks enjoyed your visit last summer to Russ Pitman so much, they asked if you were coming back, and that's how the one this year got started. Your spirit never left!
Thanks, @rednat. Is the monthly moth night at Exploration Green on Aug. 1 or Aug. 5? It says Saturday, Aug. 1, but Aug. 1 is a Tuesday :)
@johnschneider - You're right, John--it's August 5. EG moth nights are the first Saturday of the month. Thanks for the catch!
Great stuff! The Exploration Green event really kicked things off well I thought with community turnout. Who is hosting the Sugarland event?
@sonorabee - TMN Coastal Prairie chapter (led by Shannon) is hosting the Sugar Land event on the 15th. I worked with NDC to do the event on 7/8. Houston NPAT is hosting their annual moth night at Lawther-Deer Park Prairie. Lots of cool critters there last year, including Deilelater physoderus, a click beetle with headlights! (two spots that glow in the dark). Hope you can come!
Of course you already know @rednat that I will be attending 5 of 5. Looking forward running into the local iNat community of passionate ento peeps while there. Thanks for notice!
Mothing with this group is always a blast, looking forward to these! (but I will miss July 8 @ Russ Pittman this year)
In case anyone can make it to the Sugar Land event, here is the event flyer PDF which can be shared (better than paper). http://txmn.org/coastal/files/2023/06/Moth-Night.pdf
@sambiology ... thank you for setting a great example to us "newbies" to lead public events like these. Getting out of our comfort zone is as easy as hanging a sheet, a blacklight, and seeing who shows up (critters and people)! See y'all soon. Look forward to sleep in August. :D
@habitat_jaime - Hi Jaime! Hope you and family can come tonight or to any of the other events posted!
Great to meet you @rednat @dirtnkids and @johnschneider at the Sugar Land event. I left some perennis milkweed seeds there on one of the tables. Please distribute these to anyone who wants them. Cheers!
@waystation1067 - Great to meet you too, Don! Glad you came, and thanks for the seeds! Hope to see you at Deer Park Prairie next Saturday. We're putting light stations on the boardwalk through the prairie this time.
@waystation1067 — got your seeds!! Thank you and I was wondering where those came from. :D FYI — it was estimated 200+ people from the public came out to watch iNat’rs doing their thang. Many families walked away with a desire to set up blacklight lures in their own backyards, using what they already have on hand with their kids. TMNs are here to empower. Thank you iNat community for helping us be more knowledgeable about who is seen on the sheets and why they’re there, why they’re important. See y’all 7/22!
@waystation1067 Great to meet you too!
Just adding @dwverser @prairieplants @lanshen
Also, I notice that a "Deer Park Prairie" Land Feature and "Deer Park Prairie" Project were created in iNat in March of this year. There is an older "Lawther Deer Park Prairie" Land Feature and "Deer Park Prairie Biodiversity" Project, which cover a slightly smaller geographical area than the newer feature and project.
Also, be careful when setting the location for your observations if you want them to be included in these projects. If the location circle extends even slightly outside the boundaries of the project, the project won't capture the observation.
Links:
First, the "Lawther Deer Park Prairie" Land Feature (2019):
https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lawther-deer-park-prairie
which goes with the "Deer Park Prairie Biodiversity" Project (2016):
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/deer-park-prairie-biodiversity?tab=about
Second, the "Deer Park Prairie" Land Feature (2023)
https://www.inaturalist.org/places/deer-park-prairie-93d5093d-1d01-4eac-906b-522f2fec6378
which goes with the "Deer Park Prairie" Project (2023):
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/deer-park-prairie-ce3f6162-5764-4ef6-bf9f-cdb828573bb3?tab=about
@johnschneider - Thank you for researching these names and projects, John! Very helpful, appreciate the clarification for DPP. The new project should be used for reporting. I'm glad Don expanded the area for the new land feature. So far, looks like all the observations posted to date for 7/22 mothing are within bounds for the new project.
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