Moths Count

Moths Count the end of the beginning

(With thanks to Dave Green for the use of this image)

The Moths Count project was launched by Sir David Attenborough in May 2007. The aim of the project was to raise awareness of moths and moth recording and to establish a long term National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) covering macro-moths in the UK, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The project was a partnership of many national and local organisations, businesses and individuals, led by Butterfly Conservation. The funding from Heritage Lottery Fund (the principal financial funder) has now come to an end. 

Over 200 moth training events have been run, reaching some 3500 people. More than 100,000 moth leaflets have been circulated to members of the public, wildlife groups and other interested parties. Moths have also been presented in a positive and accurate light via numerous national and local television, radio and press interviews. Thousands of people have been enlightened to the beauty, importance and accessibility of the UK’s larger moth fauna via our Citizen Science surveys such as Garden Moths Count and the Humming-bird Hawk-moth survey.

Last month we held our first UK-wide National Moth Recorders’ meeting at the Birmingham and Midland Institute. Over 120 moth recorders attended this event and enjoyed a range of talks about moths and moth recording in England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands. The meeting really had an international feel to it.  Another one is planned for next year. 

The National Moth Recording Scheme

A National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) has been established and currently holds 11.8 million moth records. These records have come to us via the County Moth Recorder network. The County Moth Recorder network is at the heart of the NMRS and without these skilled volunteers we could not have achieved what we have. The NMRS is ongoing and although some 2010 records are already in the NMRS, we will be undertaking a major refresh of county datasets during the spring.

The NMRS database on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Gateway has been refreshed so the online distribution maps have been updated. The latest refresh includes all of the county datasets submitted to the NMRS by 10th December 2010. Two previously unrepresented vice-counties, Dorset and Anglesey, and 45 updated datasets are now included. The NMRS remains the single biggest dataset on the NBN Gateway, with 11.4 million records. We will continue to refresh the online dataset every six months or so. Incidentally, Butterfly Conservation is the largest provider of data to the NBN – it has provided over 30% of all the species records on the Gateway. We wish to thank all of the moth recorders who have submitted their records to us. 

One of the datasets – “Butterfly distributions for Great Britain for the period 2005-2009” – from Butterfly Conservation and the Biological Records Centre contained the 60 millionth record to be uploaded to the Gateway!  Find out more about the record.

Moths Count publications

Two major new publications were produced by Moths Count at the end of 2010 and are now on sale. Limited numbers of both publications are available, so you are advised to order early to avoid disappointment. All proceeds received by Butterfly Conservation for both publications will be used towards ongoing moth recording.

The Provisional Atlas of the UK’s Larger Moths

This Atlas shows up-to-date distribution maps for 868 resident and immigrant macro-moth species, generated from the NMRS database. This is the first atlas to cover all the UK’s macro-moths and it includes the first distribution maps for the c.300 Geometrid species ever published, as well as the first new maps for over 20 years for other species. As such it is a major step forward in our knowledge of moth distributions and a ‘must have’ for anyone interested in the recording and conservation of moths. The maps include historical records (pre 2000) and current records (2000 onwards).  The 455 page softback publication is a tribute to the hard work of County Moth Recorders, Record Collators, the Moths Count team and of course the recorders on the ground who contribute records. The production of the atlas is a major step towards helping our declining moth fauna; we are also working on analyses of the data, taking account of the changing recording effort over time. Under-recorded areas are indicated in the Provisional Atlas and will enable targeted recording and ultimately knowledge and conservation. The Provisional Atlas can be ordered for £20 (plus £5.00 P&P) by cheque to Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Dorset BH20 5QP or via the Butterfly Conservation website.

British and Irish moths: an illustrated guide to selected difficult species (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features)

This guide aims to make available up-to-date information on the identification of difficult macro-moths, beyond what is currently available in the field guides. Written by moth experts Martin Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey, 72 macro-moth species (plus their subspecies and forms) are included. Much of the Guide is focussed on genitalia characteristics, although there are discussions of other characteristics such as wing markings. It provides the next step for those wishing to make definitive determinations of difficult moths such as ear moths, dark/grey daggers, copper underwings and the November Moth group. The Guide runs to 91 pages and contains over 130 colour illustrations. It is spiral bound to aid use and has protective plastic covers. Copies of the Guide are available from Butterfly Conservation website shop (or by cheque) and from specialist retailers. The recommended retail price is £20, but it is available from Butterfly Conservation at a special initial offer price of £15 plus £2 post and packaging to UK addresses.