Moths matter! Our Rothamsted moth trap

Here at Doddington we’re really keen on knowing what kind of resident species we have so we can gauge the health of our ecosystems, since many insect species (especially moths!) can be brilliant indicator species of how we’re doing.

Moths are a major part of biodiversity and are vital for pollination and maintaining the food chain of ecosystems, as well as displaying beautiful wing colours and patterns just like their butterfly cousins!

Here at Doddington we’re really keen on knowing what kind of resident species we have so we can gauge the health of our ecosystems, since many insect species (especially moths!) can be brilliant indicator species of how we’re doing.

The Moth Traps

This was a perfect opportunity to work with Rothamsted Research on their insect survey by joining their light-trap network- composed of over 80 light-traps throughout the country, the network aims to create a record of the numbers and distribution of moths in the UK and Ireland.

For us, that means local volunteer students from the University of Lincoln have been working to create a record of the moths we have on-site.

What have we found?

Here are some of the wonderful species we have recorded on-site by our volunteer students:

• Cinnabar
• Blood vein
• Flame shoulder
• Common swift
• White ermine
• Latticed heath
• Hebrews character
• Common wainscot
• Scorched wing
• Small magpie
• Angle shades
• Buff ermine
• Ghost
• Small emerald

Follow our journey to get Wilder at Doddington:

WILDER DODDINGTON