Moth watching - The lazy man's guide

Moth trappping
Some 2500 species of moths and butterflies have been recorded in the UK, or which more than 2400 are moths. Of these around 800 are so called macro moths, and most of the rest are too small or hard to identify to be of interest to most people. We see them all the time, especially in the headlights of cars as we drive at night, in summer. They are most commonly seen on summer nights, but they can be seen at any time of year and at any time of day. Moth watching has something of a reputation as being undertaken by bearded men in strange floppy hats (To an extent, this may be true), however it is a very easy past time to undertake with virtually no cost or effort.

Bearded men & moth traps
Traditionally groups of bearded men will gather on the edge of woodland, and compare home made moth traps of all shapes and sizes, and they usually involve a mix of torches, buckets, white sheets and nets, though it is also possible to buy ready made moth traps for anything from £60 - £300. The traditional home made moth attractor usually involves tieing a sheet between trees and shining a bright light onto the back of it. Then sit back and wait. However this involves a certain amount of effort and time, but there is an even easier way.

Purple thorn moth - Found in hall earlier this week. Lights on and window open. Credit Wildlife Extra.

Lazy guide
Moth trapping is recommended on still, warm, cloudy nights which immediately rules out 70% or more evenings in the UK, even in summer. However we recommend that you simply chose a room in your house, ideally one that isn't used much, (Bathroom is ideal, spare room or landing will do it too.), open the window wide as it gets dark, and turn the lights on. Then go downstairs and watch telly for a couple of hours. Before you go to bed, go an have a look at what you have in the bathroom, take any photos you want to record what moths you have, turn the lights off and go to bed. Generally anything that found its way in will find its way back out once you turn the lights off. 

Will they eat my clothes and carpets?
Moths themselves don't eat clothing, but a very few moth larvae (only 6 species of UK moth larva) will eat natural fibres. So if you are worried about attracting clothes eating moths, then go an tie a sheet to a tree out in the woods, move your clothes out of the spare room, use mothballs or wear artificial fibres.

Once you have got a few moths, how do you work out what you have got? There is a very good website that will help you work out what you have, ukmoths.org.uk, though there are so many that it can be a little confusing. You may find it easier to look at the book of the website, or a more general insect book that lists most commonly seen UK insects.