Moths in the Park - Session One
Saturday 24 April
19.00 - Late
Myddelton House, Bulls Cross, Enfield EN2 9HG
Join Butterfly Conservation and the Moths Count Project for the first of three free lectures and practical sessions, focusing moth ecology and conservation.
This first session will look at moth trapping and identification.
These three sessions make up a complete course. Butterfly Conservation and the Moths Count Project ask that people are available to attend at least two of the three sessions.
Booking is essential. For more information or to book please call Lee Valley Information Service on 08456 770 600.
The workshops will be a mix of indoor demonstrations and outdoor moth-watching – stay as late as you wish to put your skills into practice! They are suitable for people with no experience of moth watching, as well as those who already have some knowledge of the subject but would like to learn more.
Indoor sessions will help you learn about the natural history of moths, how to identify them (using living examples), how to make use of moth traps and other techniques, and the conservation of moths and their habitats. Each workshop will also include practical sessions, using moth traps and other techniques to look for moths in the wild.
The course will be led by Martin Harvey. Martin has been county moth recorder for Berkshire since 1995, and has worked for Wildlife Trusts, environmental records centres and currently for the Open University’s Biodiversity Observatory project. He has run workshops on moths and conservation for a wide range of organisations.
By the end of the workshops participants will be able to:
· Describe the main features of moth natural history
· Recognise the major families of larger moths, plus many individual species
· Describe at least three methods for finding and recording moths
· Demonstrate habitat features that are important for moths in the Lee Valley
· Describe the main threats to moths and their habitats, and what can be done to conserve them
The workshops will provide plenty of hands-on opportunities to find out about the subject and ask questions, and handouts and other information will be provided.
Each workshop will start at 7pm; finish times will vary depending on time of year, weather, and participants’ enthusiasm for staying up late to watch moths! To maximise your chances of seeing a good range of moths, you should ideally expect to stay until about 10pm in April, 11pm in May and midnight in June (but if you have to leave earlier then that is fine).
Each workshop will include guidance on how to identify moths, using a mix of photos, books and live moths. As dusk approaches we will set up moth traps in the grounds of Myddelton House, and spend time watching moths outdoors as well as making use of identification guides indoors.
You will need: drinks/snacks for the evening session, warm clothes and waterproof shoes, and a torch. If you have them please also bring your moth book, moth net, moth trap (but these are not essential, equipment will be provided).
A follow-up event to find and record moths out in the wetland habitats of Lee Valley Park will be organised later in the year – details will be provided.
This workshop is funded by Butterfly Conservation through the Moths Count project:
For more information or to book please call Lee Valley Information Service on 08456 770 600.