Find out what flies after dark?  We plan to run a moth lamp on Friday 10th June at the meadow surrounding the wildlife pond near Gid Lane (weather permitting).  Come along anytime, starting 9.30pm until late, warm clothing and torch are useful.  Also we will have a bat detector to hear the echolocation calls of any nearby bats.

There are nearly 2000 species of moth that occur in Hampshire. Moths and butterflies are useful indicator species for the health of our natural environment.

A good night out? So what was it like. We ran the moth lamp on two evenings at the meadow surrounding the wildlife pond in Upper Froyle. The first evening on 10th June recorded 15 species even though the temperature quickly plummeted under a clear cold sky. The second on 12th July with ideal weather conditions recorded an amazing 68 species under overcast sky with a temperature of 21 C at midnight. These included the colourful Elephant Hawk-moth and our largest British species the Privet Hawk-moth. Amongst the hundreds of individual moths seen and some photographed, there are more micro-moth species still to be identified. Hardly any of the moths recorded would be seen during the day. Butterflies and moths are useful indicator species for the health of our environment.