Moth mornings in July come with a sense of anticipation, as this is almost always the month which brings the highest numbers and greatest variety of moths, usually because of better weather and higher temperatures. However, the warmer weather this July was towards the end of the month and the number of moths trapped on the moth sessions at Titchwell Marsh reflected this, with 49 species on the 3rd July peaking to 375 trapped of 90 species on the 31st July.
Some of the highlights have included Garden Tiger, which was once a common moth, as its name suggests, but is now a much scarcer moth in recent times, Privet and Elephant Hawkmoths which are always popular with some of our visitors, Small Scallop, Tawny Shears and Campion.
Elephant Hawkmoth Photo Credit: Phill Gwilliam
Our regular visitors to our moth traps have always supported us well and bring in interesting moths that they have trapped at home and elsewhere in Norfolk and continue to supplement those moths trapped at Titchwell; these have included scarce moths such as Yarrow and Citron Plumes and Star-wort, plus the intriguingly named Goat Moth. This is an interesting moth, so called because it’s caterpillar is considered to smell of goats! Other moths brought in included the exotically named True Lover’s Knot, which is an attractive heathland species which is prone to wander and the aptly named Beautiful China-mark.
As a result of the volunteers’ efforts and those of our visitors, we’ve had totals of between 67 and 116 species on show during each of our July moth mornings.