Species of the month: August

Species: Moths

Compared to the much admired butterflies, moths are often seen as the poor relation, but these insects come in a great variety of size, shapes and colours.  

Some 2,400 moths have been recorded in Britain, many are tiny and nocturnal, but there are lots of larger day flying moths to look out for too.

Species to see in August include the silver-Y, a long distance migrant often seen in the day, but also seen visiting our garden flowers at dusk.  This species is brown, but with a distinctive white Y mark on the forewing.

A very distinctive species to look out for this month is the hummingbird hawk moth (pictured) as the name suggests, this species hovers in front of flowers, wings beating fast as it sips nectar with its long proboscis – the moths tongue.

Some colourful day flying moths can be confused for butterflies, but the majority of moths rest with their wings held alongside their body or flat, while butterfly species generally rest with their wings held above the body and touching.

Colourful species to look out for in your gardens this month include the garden tiger and magpie moth; as the name suggests, the latter is black and white, but it also has orange in the wing.  The garden tiger moth, with its bright orange and black underwing, is another aptly named species.

The caterpillars of some moths are very distinctive; look out for the elephant hawk-moth caterpillar in August.  The adult moth is the beautiful pink and olive, whereas the caterpillar is an uglier elephant grey; completed with false snout and eyes to warn off predators!

Not all moths are attracted to bright lights, we just tend to notice or get annoyed by those that do! There is still some debate about the “moth to a flame” behaviour, but being migratory it is thought that many moths use natural light to find their way in the night. 

Some moths may also be attracted to candles because the scent could invoke that of a female moth.  Many of the larger moths also have feathery antenna, which help with a very acute sense of smell. Some species can detect the female pheromone (scent) over a distance of several kilometres.

How you can help

Wildlife gardening will help moths and other wildlife; planting species such as the tobacco plant (Nicotiana alata) is a good idea, as the flowers provide a rich night perfume which can attract many species of moth.  Its white flowers are also highly visible to moths.

What else to look out for in August

For many species of wading birds, this is the month for migration between breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle and wintering areas in Africa.  Places such as Pegwell Bay, Oare Marshes and Cliffe Pools are vital stopping off points for godwits, dunlin, greenshank and a host of others, as they build up there energy before migrating further south.