Discover the moths in your garden

By Victoria Bartlett
BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Andy Welch has been moth-trapping for at least 15 years

Nature enthusiasts across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being asked to join in with this year's National Moth Nights on 18 and 19 September.

There are events happening across the South to help with moth recording.

Atropos (the journal for butterfly, moth and dragonfly enthusiasts) founded the event, which is run jointly with Butterfly Conservation.

Anyone can take part in gathering the information, both expert and beginner alike.

"Moths are cute and fluffy!"

As well as producing information about moths, an important aim of the events is to raise the profile of these insects, to raise awareness of the declines in moth populations, and to highlight how attractive they are.

Andy's moth trap - moths are attracted to the light and fall in the funnel

Andy Welch from the Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre in Southampton says: "If you look at them closely they are cute fluffy animals - and they have really friendly faces - and not all moths are boring and brown, some of them are really spectacular.

"Most people are interested in the pretty birds in their gardens now but I think it's time for people to go further than that and get interested in how other wildlife works.

"The problem also is that in urban situations people are tidying their gardens up so much and making them so low-maintenance that wildlife is no longer welcome in many areas."

The importance of moths

Occasionally Andy has to check the wings carefully for identification

The presence and absence of moths and their relative numbers are a good indicator of how the local environment is working. So people helping to record moth species and numbers this weekend is useful from a practical conservation point of view.

It also helps ecologists look at other animal populations because moths are the diet of many creatures, such as bats and birds, and not just the adults but their larvae and caterpillars as well.

Andy Welch says: "It's more important to get people involved in their local area. Getting them to help collect data means that we can demonstrate how vital these environments are, and prevent building on them for example. You've got no hope of protecting a natural space without data."

Getting involved

Even a moth expert has to check books for a species sometimes

Participants are encouraged to see what moths they can find in their chosen location and the results are pooled into Britain's largest survey of how species are behaving.

Andy Welch says it is important for people from Hampshire and the Isle for Wight to be involved: "I get moths in my garden that are completely different to those in my parents' garden 200 yards down the road, due to the varying types of plants they have.

"So imagine the important differences between villages, cities, and counties - we must play our part in this."

And you never know who is going to discover a 'rare immigrant.' In 2008 a population of the White Prominent moths (a species that had not been seen in the British Isles for 70 years) was discovered in Ireland.

You can take part in national moth night in any way you choose. This might involve running a moth-trap in your garden, looking for moths at your kitchen window or at blossom, or attending a public event.

For more information about how you submit your data and where your nearest event is taking place visit the National Moth Night website