In the second article of this garden wildlife series, Bethany Sewell learns about moth trapping and how this is a great way to uncover beautiful species hiding in the garden.

Spending the days watching butterflies flutter over the blossoming borders of the garden, my mission during lockdown is to explore the species living among us. This week, while witnessing the garden continually burst into life a hopeful ambience fills the air. Hearing the buzz of pollinators and colourful characters of beetles, bugs and even dragonflies beginning to return as the spring rolls in, is an uplifting experience. However, becoming more aware of the moths that have been hiding in the garden, is a true testament to the importance of the smaller wildlife living in our local patches.

With 2500 species of moth in the UK, the diversity of this ‘scaly-winged’ group of insects, scientifically named ‘Lepidoptera’, play a vital role in our ecosystem. With most moths being active during the night, they are a key food source for bats, hedgehogs and other nocturnal predators. They can also act as plant pollinators and have even been known to carry pollen over greater distances than bees. To delve deeper into the secret life of moths, wildlife photographer Matt Binding talks about his project of identifying and photographing the moth species living in his own back garden.

“Since lockdown, I became completely stuck on how to explore the exciting spring wildlife without going anywhere.” He explains, “so, using my home built (harmless) moth trap I started to catch and photograph as many species as possible.”

Moth trapping simply involves attracting moths to a light or food source. In his homemade and ethical set up, Matt uses a light source to attract the moths to the box, where they fly in and settle amongst the egg boxes. Putting the trap out at dusk and going through the catch in the morning is proving to be a great way to understand and uncover the amazing species of moths in our gardens. Matt continues, “in the last 3 weeks I have caught 20 species and counting.”

So far, one of the highlights of the moth trapping has been a male Muslin moth; Diaphora mendica. This beautiful species generally has a wingspan of 28-38mm and a fur-like patch at the top of its body. The males tend to have greyish-brown coloured wings and are more active during the night; whereas the females have white wings and are more active during the day. Both males and females have dark spots scattered over their wings, like drops of ink. Another highlight is the Early Grey, Xylocampa areola. With a wingspan of 32-40mm, slightly bigger than the Muslin moth, the Early Grey is one of the first moths to appear and has a flight time from March to May. Its stunning marble patterned wings help it to blend into its surroundings. Looking for these winged wonders amongst the bursting garden borders could prove tricky, making moth trapping a great idea for discovering your wild neighbours. Even if you don’t have a back garden, setting up a small moth trap on a windowsill, using a small light, is also a good way to uncover the species living around us.

Image: Matt Binding. Left: Muslin moth (Diaphora mendica). Right: Early Grey (Xylocampa areola). — Image: Matt Binding. Left: Muslin moth (*Diaphora mendica).* Right: Early Grey (Xylocampa areola).

While most urban gardens can attract well over 100 Lepidoptera species in a year, moths in Britain are in decline. Data from the Rothamsted Insect Survey suggests there has been approximately a 10% decline in moths per decade since the 1980’s. While the Butterfly Conservation notes that around 62 species have become extinct during the twentieth century. But all is not lost, as around 100 moth species have been recorded to have migrated to Britain during this century and more than 27 of these species have now become residents in our own back gardens. The ultimate question being, how can we encourage these colourful creatures to our gardens at this time?

Image: Matt Binding. Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) — Image: Matt Binding. Brimstone Moth *(Opisthograptis luteolata)*

One of the simplest answers is to let your garden grow. Wild gardens are a great habitat for moths as a diverse range of native plants and grasses and even weeds herald food for many moth species, while their caterpillar larvae love to hide in hedging plants and trees. Ultimately, getting to know these sometimes-underappreciated butterfly relatives is exciting and intriguing.

All in all, taking this time to reconnect and learn about the smaller species such as moths, whether you have a garden or not, is an eye opener to the vibrant biodiversity around us. To find out more about the moths that can be found in your garden click here. Or, if you want to identify some species you’ve found; click here .

To keep up to date with Matt’s moth trapping, check out his Instagram. Every Sunday he posts the most interesting moth species he caught each week.

The Secret Life of Moths

In the second article of this garden wildlife series, Bethany Sewell learns about moth trapping and how this is a great way to uncover beautiful species hiding in the garden.