A bit of a handful

Last night we switched on our moth trap for the first time since 2007. Trapping moths sounds a bit mean, so let me explain...

Moths are attracted to light, right? So if you switch on a bloody bright one, moths gather in numbers. Sometimes the numbers are small, sometimes large. Last night was a large night!

We caught 20 hawkmoths: 11 Privets, 5 Elephants, 1 Small Elephant, 1 Pine, 1 Poplar and 1 Eyed Hawkmoth. These are the creme de la creme of the moth world, in my eyes. As we examined the contents of the trap, I felt like a kid opening my Christmas presents.

The big fella (or lady) in the photo is a Privet Hawkmoth. This is the largest species to occur regularly in the UK. They're very docile and don't mind perching on your hand. You can't see it very well in the photo, but their hindwings are bright pink and they have pink and black stripy bodies. I love 'em!

After we've identified each moth, we let it go unharmed. Moth trapping is a fun way of learning more about who you share your environment with.