Love Birdwatching? Give Bugwatching a Go This Summer

Birding connects us to the world around us as we search for and observe Earth’s stunning biodiversity. But why stop at birds? Insects and other arthropods may have a creepy-crawly reputation, but from their vibrant hues and fascinating evolutionary adaptations to migration feats that rival those of many birds’, there is plenty to appreciate. And since some 90 percent of avian species eat insects at some point in their lives, birds and bugs are deeply interconnected. Summer is a great time to start looking: Just when birds quiet down and tend to their young, insect activity reaches its peak.

Observing invertebrates can scratch the same itch as birding; insects, too, can be documented with cameras and life lists, and observing them can be similarly meditative. Plus, it’s another activity you can do right outside your door. “Bugwatching is being a conscientious observer and having an open mind, rather than having preconceived notions of whether an organism is good or bad,” says Eric R. Eaton, author of Bugwatching, an introduction to the practice.

For an easy start, suggests Eaton, try watching butterflies through your regular birding binoculars or through close-focus bins made specifically for observing nearby objects. A handheld magnifying lens or a camera—including the one on your smartphone—can also offer great looks. Your local library might lend gear, so it’s worth checking before buying new.

Knowing where to search can help. Insects fill the entire landscape, but they congregate around food sources like plants or animal poop, at puddles of fresh water, and in sunlit forest patches where they bask and groom. You can also draw them to your home with native flower gardens—avoid pesticides and herbicides—and inviting structures. When birds lie low on hot summer afternoons, try inspecting blooms for pollinators. Nighttime brings its own opportunities: After dark (perhaps following a search for owls or nighthawks), train a bright light on a white sheet or wall and admire the moths and other fliers and crawlers that turn up. “Any way you observe insects aside from squashing them is a valid way of looking at them,” Eaton says.

However you bugwatch, keep safety in mind for humans and arthropods alike. Learn which species sting or bite and avoid close interaction with them. And minimize disturbance: If you flip a rock, turn it back over, and refrain from touching living bugs. As you grow more familiar, you might develop a particular fondness for a certain niche, such as tiger beetles or flower flies. Pay attention to any shifts you observe: Just like birds, insects species vary across different geographies, habitats, and seasons.

As with birding, reporting your finds on community science platforms such as iNaturalist and BugGuide can aid research and conservation. Sarah Kornbluth, a field associate at the American Museum of Natural History, uses iNaturalist data to suggest plants to landscape architects that would best attract local pollinators. She says that documenting insects in places where few others are reporting them—even in your own yard—can be especially valuable to ecologists and conservations interested in what kind of life inhabits the area.

Meanwhile, large-scale community science events are generating more interest and immense amounts of data. National Moth Week, held each July, drew more than 150,000 participants across 80 countries in 2025. Their observations may soon help researchers track how different moth species react to climate change, says Elena Tartaglia, a research ecologist at Rutgers University who cofounded the event in 2012.

You can even bugwatch while you bird: The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation enlists people running hawk watches in autumn to count dragonflies as well, says executive director Scott Black. The data provide valuable insights into the understudied phenomenon of dragonfly migration.

If you’re not convinced yet, consider these numbers: There are perhaps a million insect species known to science, and there could be millions more yet to be found. Just imagine your potential life list!

This story originally ran in the Summer 2026 issue. To receive our print magazine, become a member by making a donation today.