Marvellous Moths A beginner’s guide
Where to find them, how to identify them, and why you should welcome them into your world
This blog intends to provide the info that I needed four years ago, when I first started to look at moths. It’s a light-hearted introduction to the world of mothing that doesn’t get hung up on jargon and scientific language. Using my own experience, including lots of mistakes, it will give you a place to start in understanding these beautiful creatures, so that you can begin looking, and even start to record what you find.
It isn’t in any way a field guide, scientific or technical text. There are some really excellent versions of those that have been written by exceptional authors with immaculate attention to detail, vast qualifications and years of experience. I now have my own mini collection of moth texts and use them really regularly in my moth recording. The work that goes into producing a field guide is so impressive. However, they really weren’t very helpful to me at the beginning, they were just too much. I was totally intimidated by the amount of information and they didn’t tell me the absolute basics that I needed to know.
I started to add moth photos to my flower farm social media a few years ago and I was asked lots and lots of questions. People were interested and fascinated by the variety of moths, their names, what they eat, where I find them. They send me their own photos of moths they’ve come across in gardens and fields, and the ones that make their way into kitchens and porches and ask what they are. I’m absolutely no expert and they all know that, but I know a bit more than them, love moths and I’m happy to help. This blog is for those lovely people, to encourage and inspire them to look a bit more, to find out about moths, their role and place in our fragile world, why they matter and how to encourage and protect them. And I’m writing it so that when they ask the questions, I’ve got a place to send them for answers and a place to start in their own moth journey.