Report information
Of course I was. Which is why last Tuesday evening I found myself in Church Cove at the end of the Lizard peninsula, helping Mark to haul a generator, light-traps and other Moth-ing paraphernalia, along the coast to a disused quarry. Within a few minutes, Moths were pouring in and whirling around the light-bulbs. Mark identified a classic migrant, the Silver-Y immediately and then picked out another migrant, a Delicate, whose pale yellow wings were decorated with a tracery of dark markings.
But we had to tear ourselves away… the true test of the night’s preparation would come in the morning.
Unfortunately the best laid plans of mice and Moth-ers don’t always work out. The generator had failed in the night and all our Moths had flown. So Mark suggested Plan B, a look at the light-trap next to his studio just above the rocky shore in Church Cove. The egg-boxes inside the trap contained lots of sheltering Moths including the Burnished Brass and Gold-spot which gleam as if they’ve been forged in a furnace. Both are probably residents here, but there was a migrant on the wall nearby, a Rusty-dot Pearl shaped like a tiny jet-plane.
We sifted through the egg-cartons but no more migrants appeared, until Mark leant forward and peered at the base of the trap at a tiny triangular speck. “Old World Webworm” he cried, and seemed very happy. We were too, for this tiny beige scrap was a sub-tropical Moth which could well have made it all the way from north Africa. In spite of its journey, it was in pristine condition. It’s a rare insect (Mark hadn’t seen one for three years) and is capable of making astonishing journeys. Maybe we should re-name it the World-wide Webworm.
Don't forget to tell us what Moths you've seen,
Brett
Video guide to attracting moths
Watch ecologist Mike Dilger demonstrate on The One Show how to get moths flocking to your garden using lights, cola and rum.
How to make your own Moth Trap
Visit Atropos Mark Tunmore's website and click on "Garden Moths" once you get there.
Further Reading:
More on the Old World Webworm
Got any unidentified photos of Moths? UploUpload them heread them here and we'll do our best to identfy them.