July is the peak month for moths!  Most moths fly at night but no-one really knows why they are attracted to light at night.  So the best way to find out what moths are using our church grounds is to draw them to the light by putting out light ‘traps’.  They will tumble down the funnel into the small openings of the box where they eventually rest in the empty egg boxes left inside. Then on Sunday morning, our local moth expert Peter Cranswick, will reveal the moths in all their intricate glory and remarkable diversity, before releasing them. 

Moths are a great ecological indicator which can tell you a lot about both the types of plants in your local vicinity as well as the quality of the air. Light traps to attract night-flying moths will be put out throughout the church grounds on Saturday night. 

We are lucky that Horsley is a favourite mothing haunt for Pete, ever since he helped to host a dawn chorus and mothing breakfast at Tickmorend courtesy of Roger Franklin some years ago.  He is also taking a sabbatical between jobs after many years in the Research Department at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, where he worked on the conservation of globally endangered wetland birds.