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Nature at Night - The Moth Riddle

16th September, 2009

Thousands of people participating in this year’s National Moth Night over the coming nights of 18-19 September are being asked to look out for moths that have been specially marked at sites across Britain and Ireland.

It’s part of a nationwide experiment to study the flight routes of moths.

  Crimson Speckled Credit: Robert Thompson

The marked moths – mostly migrants from Europe – have been caught, mainly at locations along the south and east coast, given a small dot of colouring and then released unharmed earlier this week.

National Moth Night sees enthusiasts up and down the country gather around moth traps to inspect the huge variety of moths found in the UK. It is hoped that they will find some of the marked moths in their traps, providing information about how far and in what direction they fly once they arrive in this country.

“Bird ringing has revolutionised our understanding about where our birds fly to, both within Britain and other parts of the world, but in the case of our moth populations we simply have no idea how much movement takes place within our resident populations, or indeed where many of the millions of migrant moths that arrive on our shores end up.” said Mark Tunmore, National Moth Night co-ordinator. “September is a particularly exciting month for moth migration in Britain and we are hoping for favourable winds to bring across some unusual visitors.”

Altogether there are 2,500 different types of moth seen in this country. Contrary to popular belief, many are brightly coloured, some fly during the day as well as at night and only six of these species ever damage stored clothing.

Richard Fox, who heads Butterfly Conservation’s involvement in National Moth Night, said: “The worrying fact is that moth numbers are in serious decline, especially in the southern half of Britain. Moth caterpillars play a vital part in the food chain for many birds and bats. Without moths, the whole of biodiversity starts to unravel. National Moth Night will help us better understand moths and develop conservation strategies.”

The colouring used to mark the moths has been shown to be harmless, with moths being seen five months after they were first coloured.

Richard said: “We realise that probably only a few of the marked moths may be found in traps. There are many millions of moths flying on any one night so encountering one of the marked moths is unlikely, but just about possible.”

The Rothamsted Research Station in Hertfordshire will be monitoring nocturnal migration during the event using their radar equipment to help put the findings of the event into context

National Moth Night is organised by Atropos, the journal for butterfly, moth and dragonfly enthusiasts, and by Butterfly Conservation, the UK charity taking action to save butterflies, moths and their habitats. It is an annual event intended as a celebration of moths. Its aims include monitoring moths and encouraging the enjoyment of moths. Members of the public are welcome at scores of events up and down the country where enthusiasts will be setting up moth traps. Lights are used to entice the moths into the traps, so that they can be examined and recorded. Later they are released unharmed. Some enthusiasts will also engage in “sugaring”, which involves luring moths with a specially brewed concoction of beer and treacle.

For further information: www.nationalmothnight.info