Garden Moth Scheme
Norman Lowe
Norman Lowe
The aim of the Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) is to generate records of our common garden moths in order to chart the changes in numbers over a long period of time. Recorders are asked to set their traps every week between March and October, preferably on a Friday night.
Starting in 2003 in just the West Midlands, by 2008 there were recorders in all parts of Great Britain. Now, at the end of the 2025 recording season we have over 2 million records of around 8 million moths, an average of 4 moths per record.
This is an exciting time for GMS as we will shortly be publishing a paper showing the population trends for 178 species over the 16 years from 2008 to 2023. The value of the data will continue to increase as the time period covered gets longer but to maintain data quality we have enough recorders. In Wales there are currently just over 30 active GMS recorders, but we need more. If you already record moths regularly, or if you would like to do so, let me know, preferably by email at micromoth33@gmail.com.
Brighten up your Saturday mornings by admiring up close those marvellous moths.
© Laura Moss Griposia aprilina (Merveille du Jour)
Starting in 2003 in just the West Midlands, by 2008 there were recorders in all parts of Great Britain. Now, at the end of the 2025 recording season we have over 2 million records of around 8 million moths, an average of 4 moths per record.
This is an exciting time for GMS as we will shortly be publishing a paper showing the population trends for 178 species over the 16 years from 2008 to 2023. The value of the data will continue to increase as the time period covered gets longer but to maintain data quality we have enough recorders. In Wales there are currently just over 30 active GMS recorders, but we need more. If you already record moths regularly, or if you would like to do so, let me know, preferably by email at micromoth33@gmail.com.
Brighten up your Saturday mornings by admiring up close those marvellous moths.
© Laura Moss Griposia aprilina (Merveille du Jour)
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