Moths

Nearly 2,500 species of moth have been recorded in the British Isles and are artificially split into two groups, the “larger” moths (macro-moths) and “smaller” moths (micro-moths).

All 900 of the larger moths have common names; many of which are a corruption of a much older one. Some moths are named after their discoverer, such as Ashworth's Rustic (after Joseph Ashworth). Another group of moths are the "wainscots", so named because their patterns resemble wood panelling.

A Butterfly Conservation report published in 2006, based on a 35-year study, indicated that moths in the UK are declining. Trapping over the course of the study saw the total number of moths recorded drop by a third and when population trends were calculated, two thirds of the species showed a decline.

Porthkerry Country Park

One of the rangers at Porthkerry has been recording the moths at the country park for many years. In that time, well over 120 different species have been recorded, including the brilliantly named metallic long-horn, the Lackey, setaceous Hebrew character and the small fanfoot.

For more information on moths visit the UK Moths website.