Six Burnet Moth and other strange names

How well do you know your moths? There are 2,400 moth species in Britain and about a third of our moths are ‘macro’ types, at least the size of a 5p coin

The magpie is a familiar bird to everyone – but have you ever seen a Magpie Moth? Then there’s the Emperor moth, the Hawkmoth, the Six Burnet Moth and perhaps best of all, the Garden Tiger moth that was once bred by collectors to produce even more extreme colour variations than the usual brown and white markings with blue spots on its orange hindwings.

There are so many moths that we don’t spot, let alone identify, but some come out during the day in summer, and all of them are worth watching. Many of them are just as beautiful as butterflies. Brightly coloured and of a large size, they can be easily seen at night.

More than 2,400 moth species have been recorded in Britain. They are an essential part of the food chain, particularly for birds and bats. About a third of our moths are ‘macro’ types, at least the size of a 5p coin and many are much larger. Then there are the ‘micro’ types, very small and hard to identify. Trees, shrubs and dense vegetation protects them from predators such as birds. They are most numerous in woodland, but they have habitats everywhere, from mountains and coastal sites to town gardens.

Look out for the Magpie Moth, with its striking black and white spots, as it flies about day and night in our gardens during July and August. You could mistake one for a butterfly, with its broad round wings.

The base colour of the wings is white but sometimes yellow, with numerous black spots that form a band across the middle of the forewings and a narrower band across the hindwings, and also on the body. There is also some orange on the moth’s central band and ‘shoulders’. The wingspan is about 3.5cm (nearly 1½ in).

Eggs are laid in clusters on the leaves of currant bushes, common hawthorn and sometimes other plants. They overwinter as small greyish caterpillars that gradually take on the colours of the adult moth, the grey becoming white, with a scattering of black spots and an orange stripe. The pupa is banded black and yellow and is attached to a leaf by the silk it produces.

They will fly towards the light so you may see them more easily near the house or by torchlight around the garden. They are common across much of Europe as well as Britain, but less so in northern areas.

Then there’s the Large Yellow Underwing, often seen between July and September, with great numbers of ‘tourist’ moths joining them from Europe. Rich ochre on their hindwings, they have beautiful dark brown markings, and the forewings are dark brown with subtle markings.

Because they tend to flap a lot when drawn to lights it isn’t always easy to see these markings clearly, and their flapping makes people scared of them. But they don’t hurt us and many are as beautiful as butterflies.

To see moths more clearly and to identify them, buy a moth trap that is approved by the RSPB or one of the other wildlife organisations. You will be amazed by what you see – but free them later.

Gardening with moths

• Make sure that there is enough vegetation to encourage moths as well as other wildlife, leaving some nettles for them
• Grow nectar loving plants for adult moths to feed on, just as for butterflies
• Grow a wild flower meadow if you have room – or just a patch for wildflowers to thrive
• Caterpillars will eat seeds, flowers, dead leaves, roots
• Plant a hedge with native plants such as hawthorn
• Climbing plants on walls will give moths extra habitat
• Don't use pesticides
• Buy a humane moth trap to observe moths at close quarters before freeing them again