We are in week 8 of MRes student Stuart Brooker's moth trapping efforts in the woodlands around Durham University. This week Stuart had eleven human visitors to the trap for an impromptu mid-week trapping session. Stuart set out his trap so interested members of CEG and the School of Biology could come and see what moth trapping was all about. I was interested in joining Stuart because I have been amazed at how beautiful Stuart's weekly photos have been. I am ashamed to admit that I mostly believed that moths were the true 'Little Brown Jobs' of the natural world. But, I am happy to report that Stuart has proven me terribly wrong. 

Stuart set-up his trap in his usual place and we joined him when it got dark, around 930 pm. The light on the trap is extremely bright and it wasn't long until moths began showing up. 

Stuart's trapping kit includes:

• A wooden moth trap with a light that runs on electricity
• Cardboard egg boxes inside and around the base of the outside of the trap to provide shelter 
• A large white suspended sheet 
• Moth identification guides
• Sample pots for examining moths

The most abundant visitor to the trap was the small fan-footed wave (Idaea biselata). However, the heavyweights of the night were the Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) and Large Emerald (Geometra papilionaria) as seen in the photos below. All the moths were released live after we had all had a chance to look at them and Stuart had identified them. Despite the trap being out for only 2 hours we managed to catch 39 species (see the complete species list here). 

I have developed a whole new level of respect for Lepidopterists and moth-enthusiasts like Stuart. For someone who studies (mere) birds, the sheer number of moths in the UK and the effort it takes to identify them is truly humbling. There are the so-called "macro-moths", of which there are around 800 regular British species, and the micro-moths, of which 1600 species have been recorded in the British Isles [1]. Stuart was able to ID most moths and point out their peculiarities without even looking in a book. But, I guess - for someone whose second favourite pass-time is identifying hoverflies - I shouldn't be that surprised by these skills! 

Not long ago, I read an interesting article cautioning about the loss of natural history and nature literacy. The article points out that there is a huge gap in our knowledge of nature, especially the understudied organisms.  The author argues that inspiring a curiosity for and understanding of biodiversity in young people and in scientists is vitally important. Perhaps it will take naturalists like Stuart and community events like this one to encourage an enthusiasm and an interest in nature and to bridge this biodiversity gap.  Here at CEG we have a unique group of scientists with an excellent knowledge of (or appetite for) natural history and we try to encourage an interest in Durham's wildlife.  I think we demonstrate that being a scientist and being a naturalist are not mutually exclusive pursuits and that one skill set benefits the other. Hopefully here at Durham University - with its remarkable woodlands and habitats - we will continue to have these types of events and to attract people with unconventional skills and interests to broaden our experiences with nature.

FYI - Stuart is planning a second public trapping session to invite more people to have the same experience. Stay tuned for details about that event! To read more about Stuart's moth trapping or see previous trapping records click here...

*The last five photos were taken by Stuart Brooker, all other photos by Teegan Docherty

by Teegan Docherty
Teegan is a PhD student with CEG and joined us in October 2013. She studies fire ecology and habitat use in savanna ecosystems in South Africa. 

Every week we hear from Master's student Stuart Brooker who traps moths weekly in the woodlands around Durham University. Stuart identifies, records and photographs the moths he traps and provides CEG with a weekly update of his trapping efforts. These moths were trapped on 13 July, 2014. 

Here is Stuart's week 8 report: 
"Week eight was another productive week at the trap, with a number of new faces showing up. My personal favourite was the Large Emerald - a large, handsome, green moth with a butterfly-like resting posture. The species has a habit of approaching the light but falling short of the trap; instead, choosing to rest on nearby foliage – exactly where this individual was found, and a possible reason why I have never seen one before.

Other attractive species were the Burnished Brass and the Swallow-tailed Moth. Sadly, like many of our moths, both of these species have suffered significant national declines in recent decades of 57% [1] and 60% [2] respectively. The fortunes of the Buff Footman however, could not have been more different, as the population has increased dramatically over the same period [1], and is another of those species marching northwards. It has been argued that this lichen- and algae-feeding species’ rise is attributable to the positive response of its food to a reduction in some atmospheric pollutants. However, not all lichen-feeders have enjoyed the same fate, indicating that causes behind the change in fortunes for our moths are many and complex."

Stay tuned weekly for more 'Stu's Top Moths' or follow us on twitter for updates and photos of moths and other wildlife around Durham University!

All photos by Stuart Brooker

This is week 6 of Masters student Stuart Brooker adventures in moth trapping. Stuart is trapping moths in the woodlands around Durham University and this week he hit the 100 species mark! 

Here is Stuart's report: "Pretty? Garish? Or just plain wacky? Buff Arches was quite literally the stand-out moth from this week’s catch. Like Clay Triple-lines from Week 3, this species’ UK distribution is very close to its northern extreme here in Durham – records extend into Northumberland but its range currently falls short of the border with Scotland.

Further highlights include the ‘cuddly’ Drinker and the Dark Spectacle – whose name is derived from the shape on the thorax, which, when viewed head-on, resembles a pair of Biggles-like flying-goggles. Mottled Beauty was freshly-emerged and recorded in good numbers, and Barred Red was a new species for me. Also, I hit the 100 species mark this week!"