Find out what moths are in your own backyard and help wildlife conservation
Garden Moths Count, from the 21st June to 6th July, is on its way... an exciting nationwide survey to discover which amazing moths live in our gardens.
Anyone can take part, old or young, using very simple methods to attract moths and then telling us through our website which ones you find – www.mothscount.org. You don’t need to be an expert!
There are around two and a half thousand different species of moths in the UK, and are an often overlooked part of our garden wildlife though they are often bright, patterned and beautiful creatures and are vital for feeding birds and pollinating plants.
Garden Moths Count follows National Moth Night held last week (7th and 8th June). Local volunteers joined Butterfly Conservation’s Denge Woods Project and Natural England’s Welcome to the Wildside Project at Wye National Nature Reserve to support this national annual event.
National Moth Night is Britain’s celebration of moths with moth recording having run annually since 1999. People across the nation are encourage to record moths in their chosen location and pool the results into Britain’s largest survey of what species are flying around the country.
Seven light traps were run at Wye National Nature Reserve to find out what moths were using the site; hundreds of moths were attracted to the lights, and over sixty different species were recorded including the bright and colourful Elephant and Small Elephant Hawkmoths, Green Arches and Peach Blossom moths.
The following morning, local residents were invited to look at and learn about some of the moths caught during the night, before they were released back into their natural environment.
Butterfly Conservation is the largest butterfly conservation charity in Europe with over 13,000 members in the UK. Its aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats. It runs conservation programmes for over 60 threatened species of butterflies and moths, organises national butterfly recording and monitoring schemes, and manages over 30 nature reserves. Further information can be found at: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org
Denge Woods Project is part of Butterfly Conservation’s South East Woodlands Project, working with woodland owners and volunteers to improve conditions for woodland butterfly and moths in the Kent Downs between Ashford and Canterbury. The project is supported by a range of funders including The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Tubney Charitable Trust and The Forestry Commission, and hosted by The Kent Downs AONB Unit. More information can be found at www.dengewoods.org
16.06.08
