HITCHIN NATURE NETWORK – MOTH BREAKFAST 2022

 

HITCHIN NATURE NETWORK – MOTH BREAKFAST 2022

In June Hitchin Nature Network held a Moth Breakfast and I wrote a related article ready for Inside Hitchin magazine as part of its Hidden Hitchin series of articles, very unfortunately this lovely little magazine has ceased publication and the article has never seen the light of day, so I thought I'd post this instead. The theme of the piece was hidden creatures: those flying things which visit Hitchin’s gardens and wild spaces under the cloak of darkness: moths!

We at Hitchin Nature Network understand that not everyone is the greatest fan of moths, but we are here to try and point out that they are really interesting, a marvellous part of our local wildlife and can look really cool! The breakfast was held at Mel & Dom's garden and Dom, who just happened to have a Willow Beauty land on his glasses, was obviously very happy to be a moth landing site. 


The Willow Beauty is quite a large moth and many of the larger moths are good pollinators such as the spectacular Elephant Hawkmoth which was on show at the breakfast and is common in Hitchin and particularly likes Honeysuckle. It comes in ridiculously bright colours - whoever said moths were boring?! Maybe grow a bit of Honeysuckle in your garden if you can, or possibly some Night Scented Stock in a window box?



There were several moth traps brought to the breakfast and the contents were carefully shown to the 20 or so people who came. After they'd been admired, the moths were carefully hidden in bushes to spend the rest of the day. One of the superb moths seen was a Buff Tip which have the most amazing camouflage, looking just like a bit of Silver Birch twig (thanks to Steve Grainger for the photo). 

There are around 2,500 species of moths found in the UK, and 100s of species fly around Hitchin. Some of them are ‘micro-moths’ measuring just a few millimetres across whereas the largest are Hawkmoths at up to 10cm across. Moths, along with most insects, are suffering a steep decline in numbers so it important to invite more insects into our gardens and green spaces. The best way to do this is by being a relaxed gardener and having a wide a range of plants, including (so-called) weeds like clover in grassy areas and maybe a corner where a few nettles can grow. Not being too tidy in the garden also helps, with dead leaves and stems providing refuge areas for moths and other insects too. Adult moths especially like pale flowers and plants which put out their scent at night, like Tobacco flowers and Evening Primrose. Most importantly do not use weed killers or insecticides and embrace a bit of insect love!

There are a few pest moths around, but moths have an important but overlooked ecological role. They complement the work of daytime pollinators, helping to keep plant populations diverse and abundant. Without them many more plant species and animals, such as birds and bats that rely on them for food would be at risk. Just a tiny fraction of the moths found in Hitchin are shown below...

The Jersey Tiger Moth flies both day and night, likes Buddleia and Nettles. Once very scarce in the UK but no longer.

 
Cinnabar moth: the caterpillars love Ragwort and the red and black adults fly in the day


Another very attractive day-flying moth, the Six Spot Burnet looks similar to the Cinnabar. The red spots signal to predators that they are toxic and they mean it: these beauties produce Hydrogen Cyanide!

A tiny moth, the Brassy Longhorn, likes Scabious flowers and is rare in Hertfordshire, but this one was spotted in Hitchin Cemetery. It gets its name from its metallic sheen and those long antennae.

If you are interested in the wildlife around Hitchin and don't already follow us on social media then you can:
  • join the "Hitchin Nature Community" Facebook Group
  • follow the "Hitchin Nature Network" Facebook Page
  • follow "hitchinnaturenetwork" on Instagram
I wonder what hidden marvels visit where you live? If you’ve seen a moth locally and managed to take a photo, why not share it with us? 






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