Nothing beats recording wildlife on your local patch. While it is great to observe species further afield, head beyond the boundaries of Yorkshire and it does not quite feel right – it can feel a bit like cheating. That said, with our summer family holiday destination being the Isle of Wight the moth trap is yet another piece of the jigsaw to fit into the car.

It is amazing how many more moth species there are down south, a slightly warmer climate helping species to survive. While I can expect 450 species a year in my garden, for each mile travelled south you can add an additional species to that list if the habitat is good.

I am fortunate to have an Aunt that moved to Totland on the Isle of Wight a few years back. My family can just about squeeze into the spare bedroom of her apartment for a week. Her garden backs onto coastal scrub, making it an ideal moth trapping location. Weather conditions allowed for four nights trapping while we are away. I recorded and photographed 16 species of moth that I had never seen before, and marvelled at their wonder. There were a couple of standout species for me.

Rosy Footman (pictured) is a vibrant moth. It is relatively common down south. Historically, it was recorded in Yorkshire up to 1906, and then there was a gap over a century before it was recorded again in 2009 and on four occasions since. Its larvae feed on Peltigera canina, dog lichen. With our climate warming and lichens now recovering after damage caused by industrial pollution, it is a moth that has the potential to colonise Yorkshire in numbers not seen before, following in the footsteps of other lichen feeding moths that have done the same.

The night of the 11th August saw the best moth trapping conditions. Light southerly winds which have been few and far between this year. On opening the trap I was amazed to find a Radford’s Flame Shoulder among 270 moths present. Similar to the common Flame Shoulder the moth is larger and has a more refined appearance. Radford’s Flame Shoulder is considered to be a rare migrant moth for the UK, and they rarely make it far inland. Although, some experts suggest it may be in the first throws of establishing a breeding population.

We are now back home, and it is the usual moth trapping routine in the garden. The chances of much sought-after moths from the south is slipping away as prevailing weather conditions remain staunchly from the west; we need a period of warm southerly breezes for migrant moths to stand a chance of reaching Yorkshire.

wharfedale-nats.org.uk