Summer is the high season for moths so you've got a good chance of spotting a few if you fancy getting the family out into the garden to give it a go as part of moth night! Did you know that moths can be just as colourful and diverse as butterflies? But because they mostly fly at night we don’t notice this quite as much.
There’s plenty of different species to spot but we thought we’d mention a couple you’re likely to see to get you started. First up – the garden tiger moth:
The garden tiger is a stout moth, that’s also pretty hairy. Its fore wings are chocolatey-brown with cream patterns, and its hind wings are orangey-red with black spots. Its bright colours warn predators that it doesn't taste very nice!
The garden tiger is a widespread species and can be found throughout the UK, however numbers have decreased in recent years. Its brown and black exceedingly hairy caterpillar is often called a 'woolly bear'. The hairs cause irritation, protecting it from predators, like birds – so be warned in case you pick one up! Garden tigers are usually found, as the name suggests, in gardens but you can also spot them in parks, grassland, meadows, and scrubby areas.
Next up is the elephant hawk moth – one that’s sure to stand out with its bright pink colouring:
The elephant hawk-moth is a medium-sized hawk-moth, on the wing from May to July and active at dusk. It is commonly found in parks and gardens, as well as woodland edges, rough grassland, and sand dunes. The caterpillars will start appearing next month and you’ll be able to spot those until around September time. They are very characteristic: greyish-green or brown with two enormous, black eyespots towards the head. When disturbed, they swell up to show these spots and scare-off predators.
So now you know what you’re looking for you’ll need to know how to attract the moths too. There are a couple of easy steps you can take to make it more likely they’ll choose your garden. Moths are attracted to light but it’ll have to be a pretty bright light – a dim old torch won’t do the trick. Switch one on outside and if you have one you can move around sit it on top of a white sheet to make the light even brighter.
There’s another method you can try too called ‘treacling’ which is a great one for the kids to get involved with. Moths are attracted to sweet tasty foods, especially in the early evening when the ones you’ll see are typically out looking for something to eat.
All you need to do is whip up a sticky spreadable treat and smear it on a tree or fence post and wait for it to attract some moths. We suggest mixing golden syrup, bananas, and a splash of rum.
If you want to learn a bit more about moth night and enter your sightings then simply follow this link: http://www.mothnight.info/www/
If you get any good photos from your experience of moth night we’d love to see them here at RSPB – share them on our Facebook or Twitter pages or post them in the comments below. Enjoy moth night!