How many moths are in your garden after dark?

1349 have been recorded in Northumberland and even in urban gardens species numbers can be in the several hundreds. There are just over 2400 species in the UK compared to just 59 species of butterflies. And one of the biggest misconceptions is that they are all just brown and dull - not so, just look at the photos of the Geometridae moth family.

Moths can be quite stunning and the great thing is that they can be found pretty much everywhere including your garden.

Moths are extremely important to the health of our environment by playing vital roles in the ecosystem that sustains life - and that includes us! Moths and their caterpillars are important foods for birds, hedgehogs, bats, frogs, toads and other insects. They are also important pollinators of plants, including many of our food crops.

Unfortunately moth numbers have fallen by a third since the 1960s which is why monitoring species and their numbers is very important - and you can help.

Stewart's Moths

A website site run by North East moth enthusiast Stewart. He explains how he got started, equipment used and what he has trapped so far. A great site to learn about how to get started.

Find out how to become involved in recording moths.
Filesize: 1.86 Mb (pdf)

The life cycle of moths
Filesize: 668.47 Kb (pdf)

Have fun attempting the different methods of finding moths

Find out how to identify moths