Cromwell Bottom LNR: Moth Night 7 th September 2013

Thank you to everyone who atended the Moth Night on 7th September 2013 and in Particular Andy Cockroft , Brian and Robin for giveing up their Saturaday pm . A cold night following rain meant there was relatively few moths flyng

The general theme where the Rustic Moths below Autumnal Rustic and Black Rustic

- Particularly active where centipedes and millipedes and inspecting the leaf canopy by torchlight revealed a suprising number of finds such as Ladybird Pupae 14 Spot , Spiders and other invertebrates . Newts where also seen

A number of questions where asked about moths

Why Do they Fly to Light ?

Phototaxis is an organism's automatic movement toward or away from light.Cockroaches are an example of a negatively phototactic organism.You've probably noticed how they scurry back into dark corners. Moths are Positively Phottactic There is no definitive answer or combination of factors but some theories areA moth's up-down orientation might depend in part on the brightness of the sky relative to the ground.Moth Trapping also attracts Caddis Flies which look very similar to Moths

Are they attracted to anything else ?

Yes fruit odours or juices in the form of "wine ropes"

What Kind of Light was the Trap ?

Moths are more sensitive to some wavelengths of light -- ultraviolet, for example -- than they are to others. A white light will attract more moths than a yellow light. Yellow is a wavelength moths don't respond to. The MVL or Mercury Vapour Light emits a high proportion of UV or White Light it is worth noting that not all species are equally attracted to light and, with some, there is even a difference in attraction between the sexes too.

Do they stop Flying ?

In the main Moths can fly throughout the year but like all insects their movement is driven by Temperture , However The Winter moth and December Moth flies through the Winter and even has its own anti freezeeze to make this happen

What do they eat ?

What is more important is what do the caterpillars eat. Moths will avail of many nectar sources at hand from flowers but are very specific and like Butterflies many of the Caterpillar host plants have to be just right as the Mothsability to assimilate the host plant is geared to it

How do they see in the Dark ?

You might think a problem when breeding but moths have the ability to detect and follow chemicals called pheromones that females produce thereby making searching for a mate easier in the dark

Why study Moths ?

Because of the wide variety of species in Britain they are 2500 aprox Moths and their specificity to particular plants they are good Indicator Species of the state of the environment and ecology and reflect changes or problems in it if habitats are lost

2117 Autumnal Rustic Eugnorisma glareosa