More than meets the eye

Moths are those annoying brown things that whizz around your kitchen light and chew holes through your clothes, right? Well, yes, but that is really not the half of it! They can also be colourful, beautiful and exquisitely patterned. And many have evocative names like ‘suspected’, ‘northern spinach’ and ‘Blair’s mocha’.

There are 2,500 species of moth in Britain alone, living in every nook and cranny of the country, from isolated shorelines to urban parks, from secluded copses to your back garden.

But moth numbers are showing an alarming decline. 60 species were confirmed to be extinct in the 20th century and 32 per cent of Britain’s moths have been lost since the 1960s as habitats have disappeared due to development and the use of agricultural chemicals.

Help is at hand

Here at BBOWT, we are working on providing a variety of habitats for these diverse creatures, as well as improving links like hedgerows, which allow them to spread out across the landscape. You too can help — moths are a great addition to your garden and provide a valuable food source for toads, hedgehogs and garden birds. Simply allowing a small area to grow wild can provide a home for moths.

Twilight trapping

So how can you get a good look at some moths? Well, if you are feeling active, running around in the twilight with a net can be effective, but may cause your neighbours’ curtains to twitch a little.

An alternative method is to use a moth trap. Moth traps are essentially a bulb attached to a box with some old egg cartons in. Like a moth to a flame (or lightbulb), they swerve towards the light, drop into the trap and take a nap in the egg boxes. Here they wait, dozy and docile, for you to take a look at your spoils in the morning. And it does not hurt them one bit.

No doubt, you will get hooked. And when you become a real moth boffin these traps can cost up to £300 but there are plenty of instructions available for free DIY traps on the Internet.

Out in broad daylight

Still not convinced? Luckily, many moths are day-flyers so why not turn one of those summer strolls into a moth hunt? Moths are surprisingly easy to spot flitting amongst the butterflies — a walk around Warburg Nature Reserve on a warm day may reward you with sighting of a red and black cinnabar, a silver-y, or, if you’re really lucky, a colourful elephant hawkmoth.

So, spare a thought for moths — it was probably the common carpet beetle munching through your clothes all along.

Find out more

Keep an eye on www.bbowt.org.uk for any moth events in your local area. Visit www.mothscount.org or www.butterfly-conservation.org for moth facts and advice.