1 June 2009

Just two years after Sir David Attenborough launched the new National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) in May 2007, we have amassed an amazing 5.5 million moth records. This makes the NMRS one of the biggest datasets of biological records in the UK. A large part of the credit is due, of course, to the thousands of moth recorders whose skilled fieldwork generated all of these sightings and to the scores of County Moth Recorders who have toiled tirelessly to verify and computerise the records.

The record that took the NMRS past the five million mark was of a Spectacle (see image by Richard Thomas) from Yarner Wood in south Devon. The oldest moth record in the NMRS database so far is that of a Death’s-head Hawk-moth recorded in October 1769 at Felton in north Northumberland. Currently, 80 vice-counties, two-thirds of the total, have contributed moth datasets to the NMRS.

Although the NMRS database does not yet contain records from every part of the UK, preliminary analysis is revealing some interesting findings. Using comparisons with historical information, it has been possible to gain an idea of the rate at which some moths are moving north.

One of the most dramatic changes measured so far is that of the Blair’s Shoulder-knot, whose caterpillars feed on Cypresses (including the infamous Leylandii). This moth has extended its range 226 miles northwards since 1980. The Orange

Footman has spread 147 miles northwards in three decades, Pine Hawk-moth 108 miles northwards and the Shuttle-shaped Dart 105 miles, presumably in response to climate change. The Red Underwing (86 miles further north) and Lime Hawk-moth (70 miles northwards) also show substantial range expansions.

These early results are fascinating and show us the important role that moths can play as indicators of our changing environment. The NMRS database will be a vital resource to help us understand the impacts of changes such as intensive agriculture and global warming on the wildlife of our islands.