Will the Black Witch Moth Show up at Moth Night in Mt. Washington?

Their goal is pretty straightforward—hover around trees and plants by the thousands to mate and lay eggs for the next generation of caterpillars. And if you leave your porch light on around this time of the year you might get to witness moth history in the making.

That’s right—we’re in the midst of National Moth Week (July 20-28). And the good news—and not just for Mount Washington residents—is that the Second Annual Moth Night on the hill is scheduled on the night of Saturday, July 27, at Elyria Canyon Park in Mount Washington, according to the Eastsider L.A.

The nighttime event is presented by Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance, with the cooperation of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation & Conservancy Authority. Mount Washington-based lepidopterist Daniel Marlos, author of "The Curious World of Bugs," will help identify the various moth species.

The program, open to all ages, will focus on such issues as “which moths will be drawn to the black and mercury vapor lights” and whether or not the lepidopterous assembly will include the “six-inch bat-like black witch moth,” writes Eastsider’s Brenda Rees, who lives in Eagle Rock.

Click here for further details about the closest thing to an early Halloween.