Froth Night with Natural Area Preservation

Froth Night 2025

with the City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation and Washtenaw Bird & Nature Alliance

It’s more than just the foam on your latte. “Froth” is our playful mashup for this unique night where we double down on the dark to search for frogs, toads, moths, and more! Join City of Ann Arbor Herpetologist George Hammond and some of WBNA’s regular moth-ers for this now-annual evening adventure.

Rain date: Saturday, July 26. Check back here if the forecast looks questionable.

What to Expect

We’ll set up several UV light stations in a variety of habitats throughout the park to attract different moth species. This is a relaxed, come-and-go event with participants moving between stations at their own pace throughout the night.

What to Bring

A light source

• Trails can be uneven and unpaved—bring a flashlight or headlamp
• A flashlight also helps illuminate moths for photography.

An iNaturalist account (optional but encouraged)

• Upload your own observations to help document the night’s biodiversity
• New to iNaturalist? Check out this quick start guide: inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started
• Here is the iNaturalist project page for this event: inaturalist.org/projects/froth-night-2025-at-furstenberg-nature-area

Dark clothing

• Moths are less likely to land on you than the sheets. Think “ninja night!

Curiosity and questions

• In addition to our moth enthusiasts, George is a fount of knowledge so take advantage and ask all the questions you have.

Schedule

9:00 PM – Meet at the Furstenberg parking lot near the sign in front of the bathrooms

• Opening remarks, introductions, and a quick rundown of what to expect.

9:15 PM – Disperse to explore the light stations

• Wander, observe, photograph, and ask questions at your own pace.

10:00 PM – Frog Walk

• Meet back in front of the bathroom building for a guided walk in search of frogs and toads with Natural Area Preservation Herpetologist, George Hammond.

10:30 PM – UV Wavelength Walk

• Meet in front of the bathroom building for a guided walk using UV flashlights to search for caterpillars and other glowing lifeforms.

End of Program – ~11:30 PM or later

• Stations will begin coming down after 11:30, but the exact end time is flexible and some may choose to leave theirs up longer.

Chat During the Event
We’ve set up a simple group chat for participants to connect, share information, and ask questions during the event. Only active during the event. No app or sign up required — just open this link in your browser:
👉 tlk.io/wbnamoths

Why Moths?

Moths are essential to ecosystems and vastly outnumber their butterfly relatives—160,000+ described species (possibly up to 500,000!) compared to just 17,500 butterfly species. They play a key role in the food web, especially for birds: 96% of terrestrial bird species feed their young insects, and caterpillars—protein-rich and abundant—are a staple.

Explore More

Data recorded from our Froth Night at Oakwoods Nature Area last year.

Moth Nights of Washtenaw Bird & Nature Alliance iNaturalist project to see details, photos, and stats of past moth nights.

View moths recorded in Washtenaw County 

View frogs and toads recorded in Washtenaw County