Fly by Night - 5 Fun Facts about Moths

Think moths are just brown and grey creatures that come out at night, hanging around your bathroom light? Think again! Moths are closely related to butterflies and can be just as colourful and interesting. Join us for a night of moth musing (and bat business) and we’ll show you just how exciting the winged creatures can be.

Scarlet Tiger Moth (JS)

Our Fly by Night Bat and Moth Night event is on Saturday 5^th September from 7pm. To get you in the mood, here are 5 fun facts all about moths...

1. There are over 2500 species of moth in Britain alone. They can be described as macro or micro (big or small) and fly both at night and in the daytime.

Buff Tip Moth (JS)

2. Moths are super-good at camouflage and adapting to their environment. The buff tip moth is (almost) indistinguishable from it’s favourite bit of bark – silver birch. And the peppered moth darkened in colour over time, evolving to blend in with the smoky skies of the industrial revolution. Charles Darwin even used it as evidence in his theory of evolution!

Peppered Moth perfectly camouflaged (Tom Marshall, www.rspb-images.com)

3. Some male moths can detect a female from up to 7 miles away. They do this by using their antennae to smell hormones released by the female. And they'll fly all that way to find them!

4. Moths don’t just stick to one part of the world either. ‘Migrant’ moths can fly to Britain from overseas – even as far as the Mediterranean. The silver y moth will travel between 300 and 400km to reach our shores!

Silver Y Moth (Chris Shields, www.rspb-images.com)

5. Some moths don’t have mouths! Once they’ve emerged as winged adults, their only purpose is to lay eggs, so there’s no need for them to eat. One of these species is the atlas moth, one of the largest species of moth in the world. Fancy that.

If you’d like to learn more about moths and study some specimens for yourself, come along to our bat and moth night and see the species that patrol our reserve. Our brilliant volunteers and the Sandwell Valley Naturalists will be on hand to help identify and answer any questions you have, not to mention, there’ll be hot chocolate...

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our blog on moths and that you can join us for the evening. Have you found any in your own garden? Or your house? Do you have a favourite moth? We’d love you to share some photos on our social media pages too! Find us on Facebook HERE and on Twitter HERE.

For more information about our Bat and Moth Night click HERE or call RSPB Sandwell Valley on 0121 357 7395.

Jenny

(Connecting People and Nature Intern)