Feeding The Night Shift

A White-Lined Sphinx Moth visiting our Iris early one morning. Photo by Amanda Green

By Amanda Green, Permian Basin Master Gardener

When you turn off the porch light and get ready for bed, do you know your garden has a second shift that comes in?

At night, you will have moths, Texas blind snakes, and toads that take over when your daytime wildlife goes to sleep. I rarely get to witness this, but when I do, it’s always an experience. Having night-blooming plants such as Datura, Moonflowers, and Evening Star will attract large hummingbird moths. They’re always a sight to see, being so large and buzzing from bloom to bloom.

We also commonly get Texas Blind Snakes in our area. They’re very small, about the size of an earthworm, and pose no threat to you or your pets. They come out at night to keep your ant population under control. If you don’t spray pesticides, you probably have these and have never seen them. The first time we noticed these in our gardens, we were mesmerized watching him look for tiny insects.

Toads are also a night visitor! As these are on the decline in our area due to the extreme heat and lack of rain, they will still make an appearance. Just in much smaller numbers. They’re visiting to make sure your garden stays pest-free, to scope out your moth population, and to take advantage of your water features.

Baby toads hiding under some moist plant racks at a local nursery, I was so excited to see this pair.

Photo by Amanda Green

So, when planting your garden this year, be sure to include night-blooming plants and consider letting a few ants stay; we have to feed the night shift.

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.  Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at

westtexasgardening.org. Click on "Resources."