Through wet grass on an unusually warm morning this “year without a summer”, I approach the treasure chest of my moth trap. Underneath the Perspex lids, I can see many live jewels; mother-of-pearl, swallow prominent, brimstone, copper underwing, phoenix, flame shoulder and footman. Then, amazingly, as I carefully lift out the egg-box hiding places, two huge pale-blue rarities called Clifden nonpareil appear.
A lot has been said about how few butterflies and bees there have been this summer. With about 2,500 species of moth native to the UK (compared with 60 butterflies), there always seem to be more moths around, but we won’t know if they are faring better until the records come in. Unlike butterflies, they don’t need bright sun, and many species need moisture in the air. As a result, some are spreading north from Europe with climate change faster than others, due not only to temperature but to increased rain, including once-scarce moths such as scarlet tiger and Clifden nonpareil, both of which need a damp habitat.
