Transcript

HERMIONE COCKBURN

Although there are 2,500 species of moth in Britain, in the last century alone, 62 have disappeared from the UK because of habitat loss. Local naturalist and volunteer John Nola is devoted to preserving them. So John, how did you get into this in the first place?

JOHN NOLA

It was a childhood love. I collected moths in my childhood. But collecting is unacceptable, and now we monitor the species that we catch.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

This is the contraption that you do it all with.

JOHN NOLA

Yes, this works on the same principle as a lobster pot, except that you've got a light bulb instead of bait. The moths are attracted to the light, can't find the way out. The trap's full of egg boxes into which they settle themselves.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

Why do you do this? What do you get out of it?

JOHN NOLA

Well, I get a lot of pleasure out of it. But the importance of it is that moths are very good indicators of the health of the environment.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

So if John records a wide variety of moth species here on the reserve, it's a pretty good sign that the plant communities they depend on are in good health.

So what do we do now it's all set up?

JOHN NOLA

We let the trap do its work and come back and see what it achieves tomorrow morning.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

So how do you fancy a pint?

JOHN NOLA

[LAUGHS] I could murder a pint.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

HERMIONE COCKBURN

It's like a lucky dip, really. You don't quite know what you're going to get. Look at this one. That is amazing.

JOHN NOLA

This is the canary-shouldered thorn.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

Oh, that's a lovely one.

JOHN NOLA

This moth is called a mother of pearl. If you sort of move it, you can see the sheen on its wings that gives it its name.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

Oh, yes. It's quite beautiful. Like a shell.

JOHN NOLA

It's a very common moth. Its caterpillar feeds on stinging nettles.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

Ah. Well, I can see why it would be common 'round here then.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So with an abundance of moths in the trap, it looks like Loch Lomond Nature Reserve is in good shape.

JOHN NOLA

We have another new species here. This is called the oblique carpet.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

[LAUGHS] They've got some great names.

JOHN NOLA

Uh-huh.

HERMIONE COCKBURN

Oh, another [INAUDIBLE].

JOHN NOLA

Another [INAUDIBLE], two common rustic, and another [INAUDIBLE].

[MUSIC PLAYING]