Moth Night 2021

All I can think about is moths today!  I’ve had a really exciting Moth Night.  I can’t wait to show you the beautiful moths I found in my moth trap!  I took all of these pictures during my Moth Night 2021 Moth Count….

The Results of My Moth Night 2021 Moth Count

I usually set my moth trap up in my garden, but I was very fortunate this year and my friends kindly gave me permission to set up my moth trap in their beautiful garden, which backs onto the Surrey countryside.  This year I caught 52 moth species and over 172 moths (the total number of moths was higher than this, but some moths flew away before I could identify and count them).

I caught these moths in my moth trap this Moth Night 2021……..

• 4 x Angle Shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa)
• 4 x Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua fimbriata)
• 2 x Buff Arches moth (Habrosyne pyritoides)
• 1 x Buff Ermine moth (Spilosoma lutea)
• 9 x Buff Tip moth (Phalera bucephala)
• 1 x Burnished Brass moth (Diachrysia chrysitis)
• 1 x Chinese Character moth (Cilix glaucata)
• 1 x Clouded Border moth (Lomaspilis marginata)
• 2 x Common Footman moth (Eilema lurideola)
• 1 x Common Yellow Conch moth (Agapeta hamana)
• 19 x Dark Arches moth (Apamea monoglypha)
• 1 x Dark Spectacle moth (Abrostola triplasia)
• 1 x Dotted Ermel moth (Ethmia dodecea)
• 11 x Elephant Hawk moth (Deilephila elpenor)
• 2 x Fan-Foot moth (Herminia tarsipennalis)
• 11 x Flame moth (Axylia putris)
• 1 x Green Arches moth (Anaplectoides prasina)
• 1 x Green Oak Tortrix moth (Tortrix viridana)
• 1 x Green Silver-Lines moth (Pseudoips prasinana)
• 3 x Heart And Dart moth (Agrotis exclamationis)
• 5 x Hook-Streak Grass-Veneer moth (Crambus lathoniellus)
• 1 x Iron Prominent moth (Notodonta dromedarius)
• 2 x Kent Black Arches moth (Meganola albula)
• 4 x Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba)
• 3 x Lesser Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua comes)
• 1 x Lesser Swallow Prominent moth (Pheosia gnoma)
• 2 x Light Arches moth (Apamea lithoxylaea)
• 1 x Light Brown Apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
• 1 x Light Grey Tortrix moth (Cnephasia incertana)
• 6 x Lobster moth (Stauropus fagi)
• 1 x Marbled Orchard Tortrix moth (Hedya nubiferana)
• 1 x Oak Nycteoline moth (Nycteola revayana)
• 2 x Orange Underwing moth (Archiearis parthenias)
• 1 x Peach Blossom moth (Thyatira batis)
• 17 x Peppered moth (Biston betularia)
• 1 x Pine Hawk moth (Sphinx pinastri)
• 1 x Poplar Hawk moth (Laothoe populi)
• 1 x Pretty Chalk Carpet moth (Melanthia procellata)
• 1 x Privet moth (Sphinx ligustri)
• 1 x Red barred tortrix, Ditula angustiorana
• 2 x Red Necked Footman moth (Atolmis rubricollis)
• 2 x Riband Wave moth (non banded) (Idaea aversata ab.remutata)
• 1 x Satin Lutestring moth (Tetheella fluctuosa)
• 1 x Shoulder-Striped Wainscot moth (Leucania comma)
• 8 x Small Elephant Hawk moth (Deilephila porcellus)
• 5 x Smoky Wainscot moth (Mythimna impura)
• 1 x Striped Wainscot moth (Mythimna pudorina)
• 1 x The Clay moth (Mythimna ferrago)
• 1 x The Coronet moth (Craniophora ligustri)
• 18 x The Rustic/Uncertain moth (Hoplodrina blanda/octogenerea)
• 2 x The Shears moth (Hada plebeja)
• 7 x Willow Beauty moth (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)

Smoky Wainscot Moths

Shoulder-striped Wainscot Moth

Elephant Hawk-moths and Small Elephant Hawk-moths

Privet Hawk-moth

Eyed Hawk-Moth

Pine Hawk-Moth

Poplar Hawk-moth

Burnished Brass Moth

Lesser Swallow Prominent Moth

Iron Prominent Moth

Peach Blossom Moth

Buff Ermine Moth

Buff-tip Moth

Green Silver-lines Moth

Dark Spectacle Moth

Buff Arches Moth

Dotted Ermel Moth

Green Arches Moth

Clouded Border Moth

Common Yellow Conch Moth

Satin Lutestring Moth

Pretty Chalk Carpet Moth

Lobster Moth

The Coronet Moth

Kent Black Arches Moth

More moths!

Why Moth Night?

Most moths are night flying insects; they’re active, while we’re tucked up in bed or focused on indoor activities.  Whilst in the daytime, when we’re outdoors, night flying moths are often hidden or camouflaged.  Consequently, many people miss out on seeing even a single species of moth, during the year.  This is a great shame, as moths are incredibly beautiful and fascinating creatures.

Moth Night raises awareness of the beauty and fragility of moths; this event highlights the interesting moths we see in the UK.  Why take your own Moth Night, Moth Count?  The results from our Moth Night, Moth Counts will help to inform Atropos, Butterfly Conservation, and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, of the numbers of different moth species in the British Isles, at this time of year.  This is such valuable information, by taking part you’re helping to provide moth experts with useful data that would be impossible to gather without help from the public.

Moth Night 2021 Dates

Moth Night was founded by Mark Tunmore, the Editor of Atropos, in 1998.  It’s an annual event, that runs for three consecutive nights.  This year, Moth Night is celebrating the moths that live in Reedbeds and Wetlands but you could take a moth count anywhere, you don’t need to be in a wetland area.

You’ve still got time to participate and take your own Moth Night Moth Count tonight to discover what moths live in your garden or in the countryside or wetland areas.  Moth Night 2021 is held over three consecutive nights:

• Thursday 8th July 2021
• Friday 9th July 2021
• Saturday 10th July 2021

Moth Night is organised by Atropos, Butterfly Conservation, and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

How to Submit Your Moth Night, Moth Count Results

Whether you’ve spotted one moth or one hundred moths, please submit your moth sightings.  To submit your Moth Night, Moth Count results, visit the Moth Night Homepage (here’s a link), click on the ‘submit records’ button (it’s on the right hand side of the page) and follow the instructions (if you don’t have an account, you simply register – it’s free and easy) to submit your moth sightings.  Thanks for taking part – I hope you have a great Moth Night!

See the Moths I spotted during my Moth Night, Moth Counts

You can see the moths I’ve spotted during all of my Moth Night, Moth Counts, via this link here.

You can see photographs of the moths I’ve found around my pond, in this article.

You can see every article on here that mentions moths, by clicking here.

Big Butterfly Count

It’s Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count from the 15th July 2021 until 8th August 2021.  I can’t wait to take a butterfly count!  To see links to all of my Butterfly Counts, please click here.

Other articles that may interest you…………

For information on the many different beautiful plants you can grow for moths, butterflies, bees, and other pollinating insects, please click here.

To see photographs of the largest orchid in the world, please click here.

For step-by-step instructions on how to create a bottle garden or terrarium, please click here.