Brian Hancock, one of our volunteers has written a blog about our moth surveying at Leighton Moss....
Our moth trap is sited in the orchard next to the centre and a mercury vapor bulb comes on automatically as it gets dark. Moths are attracted and fly closer and closer and some fall into the trap. There they settle down, hidden in the egg boxes, until one of our volunteers opens the trap in the morning.
We have fixed some chicken wire over the top to stop a wren or even a robin from getting inside and having a free breakfast.
The moth season starts slowly, but this year we have seen many species earlier than ever before. The numbers and variety depend greatly on the weather. The warm spell before Easter brought in lots, then the wind changed to the east with clear skies and cold nights and we were back to only a couple of the hardiest species, such as the hebrew character, which has been out since February (so named because the dark marking resembles some Hebrew Script).
(Hebrew character by Brian Hancock)
Now the warmer night have come and just like the flowers in the garden the number and variety increase to reach a peak in mid July.
Here are pictures of two caught in the last week. The muslin moth is a regular in small numbers and has a lovely furry body. Strangely only the males come to light traps. The female is white and is said to fly by day though we have not seen one here.
(Muslin moth by Brian Hancock)
The lunar thorn is rarely seen here and requires careful inspection to separate it from the more common purple thorn. Both have a very distinctive pose with wings half open looking like a crumpled leaf.
(Lunar thorn by Brian Hancock)
Starting this Sunday (15 May) and throughout the rest of May, June, July and August a local expert will be opening the trap at 9 am on Sunday mornings at the back of the visitor centre. Come and see for yourself the wonderful variety of these beautiful insects.