Australians along the east coast are noticing an influx of endangered bogong moths migrating towards the country’s alpine regions. These moths, roughly the size of a bottle cap, are easily identifiable by their dark wing stripes and white spots. Once plentiful, their numbers plummeted by as much as 99.5% over the two years leading up to 2019.
Zoos Victoria has launched a citizen science initiative called Moth Tracker, enabling people to report sightings and help track the moths’ journey from north of Newcastle to the Victorian border. They often get blown towards the coast by westerly winds and are attracted to inside lights, according to the Australian Museum.
Conservationists urge the public to avoid harming the moths to support their recovery. The New South Wales State Emergency Service has noted the unusual influx, joking about the need to issue warnings for “moth plagues” in the future.
