Moth Evenings

by Tony Prichard

Deaths Head Hawk-moth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This year the Branch Programme of Events includes several moth evenings. These are being held not only to enable you to experience moth light trapping but to visit sites where we hope to obtain records of our rarer Suffolk moths for our part of the Regional Action Plan.

We will start around dusk with two to three lights running. One of these will be suspended over a ground sheet to let everyone have a clearer view of the moths that are attracted to the light. The traps will be run until sometime after midnight; finishing time will largely depend on the number of moths turning up.

The weather, although affecting the number of moths which will be seen, is not as important as it is for butterflies. So please, do not be put off if the day has been dull. In fact, good cloud cover tends to produce the best moth nights by keeping up the temperature which is more important for good moth activity. The event is only likely to be cancelled if there is heavy rain.

To ensure a comfortable evening, do bring along such items as glasses, sunglasses or a wide brimmed hat, a chair, torch and refreshments. The sunglasses will prevent glare from the UV lamps. If you wear glasses with plastic lenses you will probably find that they will filter out the UV light anyway.

The Suffolk Moth Group also runs moth evenings every Friday night through most of the spring, summer and early autumn. Contact Arthur Watchman for derails.