A hawk moth. (Ian Lindsay / Pixabay)

If crack-of-dawn birding excursions aren’t your thing, maybe it’s time to give moth-watching a try.

Mothscome out when the sun goes down, which makes moth-watching (aka mothing) a great activity for folks who aren’t morning people.

On Friday, the Wetlands Initiative, along with Audubon Great Lakes and the Chicago Park District, will host an evening of mothing at Indian Ridge Marsh on Chicago’s Southeast Side.

Trevor Edmonson, the Nature Conservancy’s site manager at Kankakee Sands, will lead the event, demonstrating how best to observe the creatures in the wild.

Online registrationis open for the event, which gets underway at 6:45 p.m. While participants wait for the sun to set, they’ll have the opportunity to collect seeds from native plants at the marsh as part of an ongoing habitat restoration project.

People are advised to wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes and to bring water, a flashlight and a camera to document discoveries.

Mothing. It's kinda like birding but in the dark with a mercury vapor light bulb and a sheet. Join us August 13 at #IndianRidgeMarsh on Chicago's Southeast Side for some moth magic. For more info and to register: https://t.co/XjnkKf0NdQ pic.twitter.com/5XubeKgXJn

— The Wetlands Initiative (@WetlandsTWI) August 5, 2021