The first Society Lecture of the new season took place at the new venue of Holy Trinity Church in Haddington on 19th October. The talk on 100 years of moths in East Lothian was given by entomologist Katty Baird from North Berwick.
Moths like butterflies are part of the Lepidoptera family. However there are thousands more moths species than those of butterflies. Katty spoke of the many values of moths eg as indicators of environmental health and as pollinators over a wide area. There many ways of catching moths to study them eg by light traps or by laying sugar.
She spoke of the important role that the society’s first vice president, Alice Balfour had in the understanding of moths in East Lothian. Alice lived with her family at Whittingehame House. For many years she kept house for her brother Lord Balfour.
Alice had collected and recorded many examples …..over 8000 specimens between 1866 and 1935. Her collection is now in the National Museum of Scotland.
A number of moth catchers work locally and their findings are collated nationally
The findings give a picture of the changing moth population.
(Words by Jacquie Bell)
A Hundred Years of Moth Recording in East Lothian
