Moonlight & Moths: Native Florida Gardens After Dark
- Carla McMahon
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
It’s dusk in your native garden, what’s happening? It’s a serene and sensory-filled time that is transformed by moonlight. As we start to think about resting after a long day, night-blooming plants are getting ready to open their blooms, bats are just starting to awaken from their slumber, and the moths are seeking the bloom scents and any light you have provided. There is more going on in your Florida native garden after dark than you might imagine!
If you’ve ever just lingered in a native garden at night, you would certainly have been amazed by the small movements of tiny creatures and the glow of the light-colored blooms. In my garden, solar lights subtly light up the path and reflect off the white rocks that line and define the edges, providing just enough light to guide me through but not too much to discourage wildlife. A small water feature reflects moonlight, and a bench gives me just the right spot to enjoy the chirps and rustling of the waking creatures. Sometimes, if the air is still, the fragrance of jasmine drifts across the space, weaving an invisible thread that ties the night together with a touch of magic. The breeze carries a rustle through the palmettos, and I am reminded that the garden is always awake, only shifting its cast of characters as the hours change.
When planning your moon garden, you will want to incorporate the features and plants that provide you with the perfect combination for enjoyment. Of course, you will want to add native plants that attract night-loving wildlife. Here are a few options: Moonflower vines (Ipomoea alba), Night-blooming cereus, Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa), Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis) varieties like ‘Alba’ and ‘Silver Moon’, Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), and Night-scented
orchid (Epidendrum nocturnum). If you are lucky enough to have a nice-sized pond, there are night-blooming native water lilies like the Sleeping Beauty Waterlily (Nymphaea jamesoniana).
(Pictured left: Moon Flower & Stokes Aster)
Nocturnal pollinators and wildlife will be attracted to the opening flowers and will emerge after sunset. Moths, like the beautiful sea-foam green Luna moth with its remarkable and distinctive "eyespots" that resemble Saturn's rings, and White-lined Sphinx moth, also known as the "humming bird moth," are drawn to the sweet-smelling nectar of the night-blooming flowers.
Insect-eating bats are native to Florida and are important to help us keep our bug populations in check. A chorus of frogs and toads from the damp areas and water features in your native garden creates a classic sound. If you pause long enough, you may even hear the gentle wingbeat of a bat or the whisper of an owl gliding overhead, reminders that the night is every bit as alive as the day. All the wildlife works together in harmony to keep your garden healthy.
Evenings and early mornings are definitely a special time in the garden. It’s the peace we need to wind down and the calm before we start our day. Always enjoy your garden but cherish it in the calm times. Plant natives when you can and use the Right Plant, Right Place concept. Now go grow, breathe deep, and howl at the moon if the mood strikes. After all, a moon garden is more than a collection of plants—it’s a living stage for nature’s night play, where you are lucky enough to be both the audience and a part of the story.
Carla McMahon is a local resident with a passion for Florida gardening. She works at McKee Botanical Gardens as a horticulturist, is a member of Florida Native Plant Society, holds an AS in Horticulture from IRSC, and completed her Master Gardener Certification with the Indian River County Extension Office. When she doesn’t have her hands in the sandy soil she can be found paddle-boarding in local waters