Huge rare moth lands in Midlands

ONE of Britain’s rarest, largest and most spectacular moths has been recorded for the first time in the West Midlands.

The sighting of the dark crimson underwing moth in Malvern, Worcestershire, has stunned experts. Until recently, they believed it was confined – in very small numbers – to Hampshire’s New Forest.

It is thought August’s tropical weather conditions – searing heat, thunderstorms and heavy rain – may be behind the spread of the dark crimson underwing.

It is an insect with a sweet tooth, feeding on sap streams from trees.

Now Butterfly Conservation, in association with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and specialist journal Altropos are calling on the public to look out for the rarity.

They want the public to scour their gardens at night for the moth. The experts also hope the moth’s equally rare cousin, the light crimson underwing, may make an appearance in the Midlands (sightings can be posted on the Facebook site Mothnight.info).

With a wingspan of 9cm, the dark crimson moth is one of the UK’s biggest. It favours oak woodland.

And, because of climate change, it is on the move from the New Forest. There have been recent sightings in Gwent and the Isle of Man.

Richard Fox, associate director of recording and research at Butterfly Conservation, said: “Moths are on the move in the UK, with many species in decline but others, such as the red underwing, increasing and spreading to new areas. We need people’s help to find out how far the red underwing has got.”

Atropos editor Mark Tunmore said: “Already we have been receiving widespread reports of dark and light crimson underwing moths in southern England, indicating that the range expansion of these species is continuing, induced by climate change.”