Celebrate National Moth Week July 17-25

Text says "National Moth Week, Global Citizen Science, 10 years" alongside a cartoon drawing of a moth.
Credit: National Moth Week

SciStarter is partnering with National Moth Week (available in 50+ countries)!

July 17 through 25, people of all ages are gathering to explore and learn about the wonderful world of moths. There are over 1,000(!) registered mothing events to choose from. Find one near you or sign up to host an event of your own!

Finding moths is easy: A sheet and a light set up at night — or even just your porch light — will attract them in droves. Your observations (submitted online) help scientists track the health of moth populations, and any high-quality photo of a moth is enough to contribute.

Your insect observations don’t have to stop when National Moth Week ends. Here are some other citizen science projects to keep the arthropod party going!

Cheers,
The SciStarter Team


 

Three honeybees feed on a big sunflower.
Credit: Dwight Sipler/Wikimedia Commons
Count pollinators wherever you see flowering plants—it doesn’t have to be a sunflower—and add your count via an online form. Your observations will help researchers monitor how pollination services are increasing and decreasing over time.
Location: Global

Get Started!

A single bumblebee sits on a purple zinnia flower in a garden.
Credit: Anna Funk
Help track bumblebees with Bumblebee Watch! Snap a photo when you see a bumblebee, and submit your observations on the Bumblebee Watch website. Researchers will use your data to monitor bumblebee populations and even find rare bees!
Location: North America

Get Started!

A woman's hand reaches to overturn a milkweed leaf, revealing a large monarch caterpillar on the underside of the leaf.
Credit: Anna Funk
Sign up to be a milkweed monitor! Get trained to be a monarch pro, and submit weekly observations online from your local milkweed patch.
Location: U.S. and Canada

Get Started!

A green caterpillar inches along the edge of a leaf of a similar shade.
Credit: Allen Hurlbert
Use data sheets to conduct surveys of plants and trees at an existing site (or create a site of your own) to monitor the seasonality and abundance of foliage arthropods, like caterpillars.
Location: U.S.

Get Started!

A single bee sits atop a white flower with a yellow center. More yellow flowers are blurred in the background.
Credit: Orangeaurochs/Wikimedia Commons
See a bee in the United Kingdom? Snap a photo of the plant it’s buzzing around and upload it to the free Spot-a-bee app. You’ll help scientists map and understand important bee habitat across the country.
Location: U.K.

Get Started!

With support from the National Library of Medicine, SciStarter and other partners have assembled a tutorial and accompanying module to help people from all walks of life engage in science and bring citizen science to new communities. Part one of the training helps you learn the basics of citizen science, participate in projects and make the most of SciStarter. Then, there is an additional training module geared toward librarians and library staff.

Get Started!

Finding the right citizen science project for you out of thousands featured on SciStarter can be challenging. That’s why SciStarter collaborated with Ben-Gurion University to create a transparent, AI-powered recommendation system. Learn about updates and how you can use this tool in a new blog post.

Get Started!

Events and Opportunities

  • NASA GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Photo Challenge (July 25 – August 25): NASA scientists need your photos of mosquito larvae and land cover to help prevent mosquito-borne diseases. Help them by submitting photos during this special challenge!
  • Help Create an Inventory of Safe Drinking Water (August 4 & August 15): Live in the United States? Join two live, online events for an introduction to citizen science, to learn about water infrastructure in your community and to participate in the Crowd the Tap project live in partnership with SciStarter and the Kenosha Public Library.
  • For Libraries: Library Network and Grant Opportunity: SciStarter, in partnership with Arizona State University, is excited to announce the launch of the National Citizen and Community Science Library Network! Public, private and academic libraries are all invited to join. The goal of this network is to provide resources, support and connections to libraries across the country interested in becoming community hubs for citizen science. In addition to other resources, featured on the Network’s SciStarter page is a new $1,600 grant opportunity for public libraries in the United States.

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Keep Exploring

Discover more citizen science on the SciStarter calendar. Did you know your SciStarter dashboard helps you track your contributions to projects? Complete your profile to access free tools. Want even more citizen science? Check out SciStarter’s Project Finder! With citizen science projects spanning every field of research, task and age group, there’s something for everyone!

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects

About the Author

SciStarter Team

SciStarter Team

SciStarter connects you to thousands of searchable citizen science projects in need of your help. Use the Project Finder (SciStarter.org/Finder) to find a project to match your location, interests, and age level. Your free SciStarter account will help you earn credit for participating in projects across apps and websites (use the advanced search option at SciStarter.org/Finder to find Affiliate projects eligible for credit in your dashboard). Together, we can move the world forward!