By Susie Curtin.
Last night while I was sleeping, the moths in my garden were gathering. It was the perfect night for them – warm, cloudy and moonless. Just after dusk, I chose a shady, sheltered corner in my garden and plugged in my Robinson moth trap. Then I sat with a hot drink and watched the moths fly fast and erratically towards the brightness until tiredness beckoned.
No one really understands why moths are attracted to light. It is thought that being nocturnal, they have evolved to travel by the glimmer of the moon or stars. The bright artificial lights of human habitation confuse their navigational systems, and like Romeo and Juliet, the lamp and the moth become a fatal attraction.
Fortunately, as long as my light trap is positioned away from the heat of the rising sun, and is emptied early in the morning, the moths are not hurt. The worst that happens is that they lose a night’s foraging, which is why it is best not to trap too often.
Now early morning, I reach for my camera, my field guide and my notebook ready to open the lid on my catch. Until you slowly sift through the empty egg boxes that are used to provide the moths with crevices to roost, you do not know what you will find. This morning, there were my usual favourites for August, ruby and Jersey tigers, thorns, waves, footmen and prominents, plus new varieties I had to look up.
Although moths evolved before butterflies, it is the latter which gets most of the tribute. But once you enter the world of moths, there is so much more to behold than the brown, delusional, cloth-munching insects most people perceive them to be. In fact, 99.9 per cent of moths are not cloth-munchers at all. Instead, there are 2,500 highly diverse species – 900 larger, macros and 1,600 smaller, micros. Although some are indeed brown and nondescript, many are brightly coloured, exotic and delicate, and others like the twig-like Buff-tip moth that are masters of disguise.
The biological distinction between moths and butterflies is negligible. In fact, a butterfly is just another kind of moth. The most obvious difference is their visibility. Most moths fly at night, with only a few, like the Jersey tiger moth and the often-seen hummingbird hawk moth, which are day flyers. Without the use of a light trap, we would rarely get to appreciate their beauty and diversity.
As I gently handle the by-now sleepy August thorn moth, it is an opportunity to gaze into its fine, ginger, fuzzy face. Black bulbous eyes and eyebrows adorned with long-feathered antennae stare back at me, and for a moment we are connected. I honestly cannot think of a better way to start the day.
n If you would like to experience the world of moths, join the moth event at the Countryside Regeneration Trust, Bere Marsh Farm, Shillingstone, Blandford DT11 0QY on Wednesday, 24 August, from 9am. Contact Andy Fale at a.fale@thecrt.co.uk
Dr Susie Curtin
(email curtin.susanna@gmail.com)