The Wildlife Gardening Group is now up and running. Czech Conroy, Wildlife Gardening Group coordinator, explains the Moths Project.
Our gardens can be very good places for moths. That may not be obvious, however, as most species go unnoticed as they fly at night. The WGG’s ‘Moths Project’ will show us just how many moth species there are in some members’ gardens.
We set up the Moths Project as one of our very first activities because the number of moths and different species can be a very good indicator of how wildlife friendly the garden is. The video clip shows a glorious flash of orange as a Jersey Tiger moth leaves its resting place.
We’ll be posting updates on the project and what we found out.
Better Gardens for Moths
There may be ways of making our gardens even better for moths. The Butterfly Conservation and RHS websites both provide valuable information on what gardeners can do.
Variety of Plants
“Having a wide variety of plants in the garden will also make it suitable for a wider range of moth species. Try to have a mixture of large and small flowering plants plus a few shrubs, and a small tree if you have room. Your choice of plant species can also make a big difference. Flowers with plenty of nectar will provide a good source of food for adult moths, while certain plants can provide the necessary food for caterpillars”. Butterfly Conservation website – Gardening for moths
Plants for moths
The RHS website contains a list of 10 plants that are great for moths, either as sources of nectar or food plants for moth caterpillars. Check it out.Top 10 plants for moths
One of the plants in the RHS list is the Evening primrose. In the words of the RHS, “The yellow silken blooms of evening primrose open to release their scent as the sun goes down”. I’ve just bought 5 Evening primroses – see attached photo. Another night-scented plant in the RHS top 10 that provides nectar for moths is honeysuckle, which has beautiful flowers (see photo above left).
Some plants provide food for moth caterpillars, such as mint which caters for caterpillars of both the mint moth and beautiful plume moth. I’ve got some mint in my garden (centre), and a couple of days ago I saw a Mint moth in the garden – they fly during the day as well as at night.
Cabbage moth found on a member’s buddleia.