Make your own…Moth Lantern

Long before people invented night-vision cameras, nature had already learned how to live in the dark and use it to its advantage!

For millions of years, nocturnal creatures (animals that only come out at night) have evolved to live under the stars. Moths, for example, navigate by following the moonlight. Their wings are covered in tiny scales that scatter light and help them hide from predators. Some moths even hear the high-pitched sounds bats use, so they know when to flee!

Other night animals have clever adaptations too; Owls fly silently thanks to special feathers, hedgehogs curl into spiky balls for protection and bats use echolocation, making sounds to “see” with their ears. These amazing features come from nature’s long process of evolution, where living things adapt over time.

Just as moths are drawn to light, we are drawn to their mystery. By building shelters, making art inspired by them, or observing them, we become students of nature. As Sir David Attenborough said, “The natural world is the greatest source of excitement, beauty, and intellectual interest.”

With curiosity and care, we can learn to live respectfully alongside these wonderful creatures of the night.