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In this week’s Science Café Adam previews National Moth Night, an annual celebration of moths in all their variety, which this year takes place from 10th – 12th September.

Moths are often portrayed as butterflies’ drab cousins with an appetite for the clothes and an irresistible attraction towards bright lights. But there’s a lot more to moths than that: they’re some of the most important pollinators, second only to bees; of the 2500 species in the UK, only two dine on clothes; they have an extraordinary sense of smell; and far from being drab, they’re actually some of the most colourful and beautiful insects we have.

Adam makes a dusk visit to the Pensychnant Conservation Centre near Conwy to meet Julian Thompson and Ilija Vukomanovic, respectively the Secretary and Chairman of the North Wales Branch of the charity Butterfly Conservation Julian sets up a moth trap to see what species are about on a September evening. Adam also joins members of the North Wales Moth Group to take a closer look at some of the moths they’ve trapped and brought with them.

The North Wales Branch of Butterfly Conservation are running an event for National Moth Night at Pensychnant Conservation Centre and the South Wales Branch event will be at the Cwm Colhuw Nature Reserve near Llantwit Major. See ‘Related Links’ for more details.

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