Activity

Amazing moths discovery activity

Did you know you could have tigers, leopards or elephants roaming your garden? They're all names of types of moths.

Four children crouched on the forest floor, smiling and laughing.

This Experiencing Nature activity can be completed as part of Families Wild Challenge.

Estimated time: Under an hour Season: Summer, Spring Skill level: Not too tricky

Instructions

How to attract moths

Did you know some animals use distant light sources like the moon to navigate? It's a bit of a mystery why moths love light bulbs, but one theory is that they're trying to use them to navigate like they would the moon, but the bright light dazzles and confuses them.

You can use lights to attract moths. Starting with the moths in your bathroom or around outside lights is a really simple way to begin. If you’d like to try to attract more moths, try hanging a white sheet over a washing line and shining a bright light underneath it. Be careful that any hot lights don’t touch the sheet.

You could also try making a moth lure or trap using sweet food and fizzy drinks – moths have a sweet tooth.

First, break bananas into pieces, then put them in a bowl and mash them with a fork.

A person's hands mashing a sliced banana in a bowl with a fork.
Partnering with

The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International.More