Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is launching a Kent-wide moth spotting week next week, urging people across the county to get outdoors and take part in spotting an array of important and surprisingly colourful moths.
Part of the Kent’s Magnificent Moths project, which launched earlier this year, the Big Moth Safari also includes various free events around Kent and online guides on how to attract moths into your garden, easy spotting tips and why conserving these threatened creatures is so important.
Project Conservation Officer Emma Pestridge said: “We’re excited to launch our first public campaign to celebrate the vast array of moths in Kent. The Big Moth Safari is an ideal opportunity to get outdoors, take and share photos and findings, and identify those insects you have always wondered the names of! The species information and locations of your findings will also help with our conservation work.
“Kent is a particularly special county for moths with several species occurring no-where else in the UK. We want people to tell us about the moths they’re seeing in their local areas, gardens and balconies. Perhaps you’ve spotted a rusty brown and golden Mint moth on your herb pots or been lucky enough to see a pink and green 9cm Elephant Hawk-moth trundling past your window at dusk. We want to hear from as many people as possible.
“To get involved go to @ButterflyConservationKent on Facebook, @kentbutterflies on Twitter or @BCKentbranch on Instagram from 21 June where details of local events handy ID guides and other hints and tips about spotting the county’s array of incredible moths will be posted under the hashtag #bigmothsafari. Simply share a picture or details of your findings with us, including your location, using #bigmothsafari.”
The Kent’s Magnificent Moths project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is the largest area-specific project which has ever been run by Butterfly Conservation and will conserve and celebrate some of the county’s most special, and UK’s rarest, species over three years.
Moths are facing worrying declines across the UK which has knock-on effects to wider biodiversity, so conserving them, and encouraging more people to delight in them is very important. The Kent’s Magnificent Moths project aims to create a boost to wildlife conservation activity in the area, with the opportunity for local people to see and help save some of the UK’s rarest and most threatened species.