Update on The Moths Project – a total of 39 species for August!
Wildlife Gardening Group Co-ordinator Czech Conroy reports:
I put out the moth trap last night (24 August). I was expecting/hoping for slightly more than the 5 moths and 4 species that I got on 3 August, because I’ve got more flowering plants – marjoram, mint, buddleia and star jasmine – close to the trap.
There were 15 moths and 10 species in the trap, which means that my total species is now 13. Not only that, but 5 of today’s species were ones that none of us have had previously, i.e. the 4 below and a micro moth (species not known) from a new (for us) genus:
- Long-horned Flat-body
- Hook-tipped grass moth
- Red-barred Tortrix
- Setaceous Hebrew Character, pictured.
With the new 5 species that gives us a total of 39 species for August!
How many moth species can a garden attract?
There are about 2,500 moth species in the UK. About 900 are macro moths. Nearly 400 could potentially be found in a garden – or so I read recently.
The others presumably require a different kind of habitat, e.g. coastal, wetland or heathland. In addition, many moths will have a limited geographical distribution – e.g. only found in the south west.
So the number of macro moths that are likely to be found in a suburban garden in London is significantly less than 400. There are also seasonal differences in the species that are on the wing – e.g. those flying in spring may differ a lot from those in August.
Over 200 species (macro and micro) have been recorded in Brompton cemetery, which is managed with wildlife in mind.
More about the Wildlife Gardening Group
The Moths Project is recording moths found in 4 WGG members’ gardens, over the course of a year. We use a moth trap (non-lethal), to find out how many moth species the gardens support. The numbers of moth species and numbers of moths recorded in a garden provide one valuable indication of the garden’s wildlife and biodiversity value.