Spot the difference- Moths and Butterflies
The main difference is that a butterfly’s antennae are ‘clubshaped’ whereas a moth antennae are usually thicker and often feathery without the club bit at the end - but there are a few exceptions; burnet moths have thinner, more butterfly shaped antennae, but without the club bit.
Butterflies and moths tend to hold their wings in different ways when they’re resting. Butterflies normally fold them closed, while most moths rest with their wings open. Again, there are exceptions to the rule; some butterflies like basking with their wings outstretched, while some moth species, like thorn moths, rest with their wings vertically or at an angle.
Moths
Moths are an underrated insect, forgotten maybe and something people don’t think about as they do not see them very often. Classed as annoying little brown flappy things around the house, but as you can see from image on the left, moths are far from small and brown, and can be every bit as big and as colourful as the more familiar butterfly.
Moths are every bit as important as butterflies and other insects. They are an extremely important pollinator and an excellent indication of a healthy ecosystem - pollinating plants at night when butterflies are not about.
So, how do you get to see these special insects?
Some do fly during the day and can be disturbed by shrubs/bushes or walking through long grass, but they mostly fly at night when we are sleeping. The easiest way to see moths is by using a special light trap. There are many different types of trap but, essentially, it is a box with a hole in the middle where you place a funnel. A light is attached above the hole and, when switched on at night, moths are attracted to the light and either settle around the trap or most will drop down through the funnel and settle on egg cartons on the inside. Traps all work the same way, but different lights can have different results. Traps can be bought from several different retailers or, if you are confident enough, you can source the parts and build your own. Moth traps can be powered by mains plugs, by using a battery set-up (which can make them more portable) or by use of a generator.
Catching the bug
I have been moth catching regularly for ten years, which started when I worked at John O’ Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire. I belonged to the local Natural History Society and I knew someone who caught moths, so they kindly loaned me a trap to get started and helped me with Identification. It was an old Robinson trap with a 125w MV bulb, and that was the beginning of what has become an obsession with these amazing creatures. I bought my first trap in 2018 and I now have six!
I would recommend putting a white sheet down whenever you put a moth trap out. Moths will settle around the trap as well as go in it and the white sheet makes it easy to see them. A white sheet can also form the base of a simple light on a tripod to attract the moths. You have two options when trapping; set the traps and stay out with them (often till the early hours) or leave them on all night and get up early to check the next morning. Mothing is a very enjoyable and addictive hobby, and I love it. The anticipation of opening the traps in the morning wondering what you will find is quite something, not to mention all the hope and anticipation that there might be a special one.
I should warn people now, once you get addicted to mothing, your sleep pattern will never be the same again! In June 2022, in my garden in south Cambridgeshire, I came downstairs to check the trap before work and, to my astonishment, I found a Striped Hawk moth (a rare migrant from southern Europe and North Africa). I was silently shouting at the top of my voice: ‘Yes, Yes, Yes... a stunning moth and the first in the county for several years.’ The adrenaline was flowing and it put me on a high for the rest of the day. Another way of attracting moths to your garden is by the use of artificial pheromone. ures, which mimic the scent of the female moth to attract the males of a species. These are particularly good for attracting some of the Clearwing species. Check this link to find out more about this method: butterflyconservation.org/sites/default/ files/202406/Alluring%20a%20season%20 with%20Clearwings.pdf
How can you get involved?
There are several ways to get involved with moths and moth trapping. Some nature reserves do public demonstrations, opening up their traps in the morning; the National Trust Reserve at Wicken Fen and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Reserve at Wheeting Heath to name just two. Contact your local Natural History Society, Wildlife Trust or local branch of Butterfly Conservation (BC) to ask about moth trapping events, go along and find out more about moths. An effective way to start moth trapping is by simply walking around your garden with a torch, whilst spotting moths nectaring on flowers or resting on a tree or fence post. Insects in general have been in decline for a while all over the country for various reasons, including climate change and habitat loss etc. Golf courses take up a lot of land, but not all of it is fine and manicured like the greens. There is plenty of space that greenkeepers can and should utilise to help insects like butterflies and moths by providing wildflower areas and letting some out-of-play areas go wild. Golf courses, gardens and local parks can all be a place where insects can thrive.
Butterflies
Butterflies generally start to emerge in the spring when the weather starts to warm up - compared to moths which can be seen all year round (although less species in the winter).
On a warm day in March (or even February), one of the first butterflies you are likely to encounter is the Brimstone - a very obvious bright yellow species which I often think heralds the end of winter. Other species to look out for in early spring include small Tortoiseshells and Orange Tips (the male is small and white with orange tips on the wings). As we get into the spring and temperatures increase, you will start to see a wider range of species including Holly Blue, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Comma and Red Admiral. The height of the butterfly season (much like moths) is during July and August, when the weather is usually at its hottest. If you have a wildflower area on your golf course or local park, or even just a Buddleia bush in the garden, then it will probably have lots of nectarine on the fflowers produced by Meadow Browns, Peacock, Comma or Red Admiral. Butterflies can migrate so, if conditions are right, you might come across something a little bit different like the Clouded Yellow or Painted Lady. If you have oak woodland nearby, you might also come across some scarcer butterflies such as the Purple Hairstreak or the rare and elusive Purple Emperor.
The butterfly you are likely to see later in the year is the Red Admiral which can be seen on mild days in November, and even exceptionally mild days in December.