11th February 2004


What's that moth?

Moths are often thought as been dull and boring - a poor
relation to butterflies. This could not be further from the
truth. There are over 2,500 different moth species found in
Britain and they come in a wide variety of colours and sizes.
Many moths such as the scarlet tiger are stunningly bright, and
others are cryptically camouflaged to avoid predators.

Last year was a fantastic year for moths in the media, with
national coverage of the unusual large influx of migratory
convolvulus moths and reports from all over the country of
people seeing hummingbirds in their gardens. These of course
always turned out to be hummingbird hawk moths living up to
their name, nectaring at flowers in the same way that
hummingbirds do.

With such an interest from the public last year, Cornwall Moth
Group and the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS) have decided to get together to run a
one-day workshop at Fraddon Village Hall on Saturday 28th
February to learn how to identify, record, and appreciate
moths. Roy McCormick, county moth recorder for Devon, will also
be showing us how to differentiate between similar species.

Whatever your level of interest, we would like to encourage you
to share our enthusiasm for this fascinating group of insects.
If you would like to book a place on the workshop please
contact Nic Harrison-White at ERCCIS, Five Acres, Allet, Truro,
TR4 9DJ or telephone (01872) 273939. Details of other moth
related events are published on the Cornwall Moth Group website
at http://www.cornwallmothgroup.org.uk.