The 2008 Garden Moths Count ran from 21 June to 6 July. Once again the people taking part were spread out all across
the country, from Land’s End to Orkney and from Margate to the Outer Hebrides, helping
us to build a fascinating picture of which moths were found (or not) in different
parts of Britain.
Many people who took part in 2007 joined in for a second look at their garden moths
in 2008. Two young boys who took part last year (using their own socks for wine
ropes!), this year made a moth trap with their Dad, Steve, which was great success.
In fact it was so successful that he loaned it out to several work colleagues during
the Garden Moths Count fortnight, so that their families could join in the fun.
And they enjoyed mothing so much that they asked for another turn! Steve, who says
he has become a ‘moth evangelist’, was delighted by his colleagues’ reactions:
“They have been amazed at what is lurking in their garden at night. I would encourage
anyone with a moth trap to spare to pass it around to friends and relatives.”
The moths
Many people have been commenting that this summer has been poor for moths (and butterflies)
and the results from Garden Moths Count support this view. In Garden Moths Count
2008, 65% of participants saw fewer than 5 of the target species and a further 23%
saw between 5 and 9 species. This means that 88% of the people taking part saw fewer
than half of the target species. Worse still, 30% of people saw only one of the
target species and 6% told us they found none at all!
The low count is largely due to the wet, cool and windy weather that most parts
of Britain have experienced for much of the year, plus the knock-on effects of a
poor summer last year when the parents and or grand-parents of this year’s moths
were trying to get on with their lives and reproduce. Following a bad year, populations
of moths (and other insects) usually have a great ability to bounce back when better
conditions return, thanks to their high reproductive output and short life-cycles.
However, the poor weather of 2007 and 2008 has come on top of a very significant
and deeply worrying long-term decline in British moth populations, so local populations
are now smaller and less resilient to natural fluctuations caused by variations
in the weather.
As in 2007, the most frequently recorded target species were Large Yellow Underwing
and Heart & Dart (found in 51% and 49% of gardens respectively). Many people
were also fortunate enough to find spectacular hawk-moths in their gardens – a third
of participants saw Elephant Hawk-moths and a quarter saw Poplar Hawk-moths, while another 11% found Lime Hawk-moths.
However, the amazing Humming-bird Hawk-moth was only seen in 4% of gardens. It was
the least reported target species, even though it flies in the day-time and has
the habit of hovering to drink nectar from flowers and so is easily seen and recognised.
This species is an immigrant visiting us from North Africa and the Continent, as
is the Silver-Y which was seen by only 19% of people, despite being our most abundant
regular visitor. These two results agree with anecdotal observations from moth recorders
around the UK that 2008 has not been a good year for moth immigration (2007 was
also poor).
Let’s hope that 2009 produces warmer spring and summer weather to help the moth
numbers recover. Look out for news on this website of the date for the 2009 Garden
Moths Count, so that you can help us find out what is happening in the nation’s
gardens.
The maps
All the results for 2008 have been collated to produce distribution maps for
each species – you can a have a look by clicking the species’ photos below. The red spots indicate where that species was seen during the
Garden Moths Count and the blue spots show the other locations where people took
part in the survey but did not find that particular moth.