Thank you to everyone who came to the first moth recording event we have ever had on campus, and a huge thank you to Dan Hall for running the sessions.

We started off with a brilliant, enthusiastic presentation from Dan about the different types of moths, why they are important in our ecosystem and how we can monitor them. Did you know that moths are pollinators and that there are around 2500 species of moth in the UK? These are just two of the great facts we found out!

We then went out and set up two traps which we filled with egg cartons so that the moths had places to land and hide in once they entered the trap. We went to check on them the next morning, between 8am and 9am. We found 27 different moths from 10 different species in the traps, such as Common Rustics (Mesapamea secalis), a Flame Shoulder Moth (Ochropleura plecta) and Dun-bar Moths (Cosmia trapezina)! It was great to see them up close and have a go at identifying them, before letting them go. We recorded what we found on the iNaturalist app, which is helpful when identifying the species.

Lessons were definitely learnt from this, such as trying to find a darker location for next time, which is further away from buildings, so that the moths are more attracted to the light of our trap rather than the buildings. Also, we would like the trap to be higher up, and can hope the weather is a bit warmer. All of these factors should help more moths be attracted to the traps.

We will be organising more moth events for the future, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and come along next time! Please find the complete list of moths surveyed below.