Moths traps are opened every Saturday morning at 9am at Essex Farm – everyone welcome! The moths found are noted and the records contribute to discovering trends in the island’s insect populations. Running a weekly trap this year has been interesting, especially seeing the species change as the weeks go by. By now, well into summer, we are getting around 20 species each morning in we open a trap. The large showy hawk moths are a big draw, generally they will stay still for a while as they warm up and are very happy to sit on a hand or shoulder. But other species which might not be as eye catching at first are equally impressive on second glance. The orache has many different shades of green, blending perfectly with lichen or a tree trunk. The rosy footman is a delicate shade of pink with black scribbles across the wing. And the lackey moth is cute enough to feature in any cartoon, with its brown fur, fluffy antennae and small size.

We would love to see you down there so do pop along one Saturday morning and learn a little bit about some of Alderney’s hundreds of moth species.