Three ways climate change is pushing butterflies and moths to their limits

Climate change puts pressure on British butterflies and moths - sometimes pushing them to the edges of their geographical range or shifting the timing of their life cycle so they can’t feed.

Elizabeth Duncan, Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Leeds • conversation
Feb. 29, 2024 ~8 min

We’ve found out how earless moths use sound to defend themselves against bats – and it could give engineers new ideas

The ermine moth’s wing structures are fascinating because they rely on a mechanism we teach our engineering students to avoid

Rainer Groh, Senior Lecturer in Digital Engineering of Structures, University of Bristol • conversation
Feb. 6, 2024 ~8 min


The surprising reason why insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky

A new study shows how artificial light at night scrambles insects’ normal flight patterns, pulling them off course into orbit around the light.

Yash Sondhi, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Entomology, Mcguire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida • conversation
Jan. 30, 2024 ~9 min

Why moths might be more efficient pollinators than bees and butterflies

But pesticides and climate change are threatening moths’ future.

Max Anderson, South West Landscape Officer for Butterfly Conservation • conversation
Aug. 16, 2023 ~7 min

Weird weather keeps butterflies aflutter longer

Unseasonably warm and cold days can prolong the active period of moths and butterflies by nearly a month. "The results are not at all what we expected."

Jerald Pinson-U. Florida • futurity
June 6, 2023 ~7 min

Clothes moths: Why I admire these persistent, destructive, difficult-to-eradicate and dull-looking pests

An appreciation for the moths that chomp holes in your clothes. They eat the inedible, occupy the uninhabitable and overcome every evolutionary obstacle in their way.

Isabel Novick, Doctoral Candidate in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, Boston University • conversation
May 8, 2023 ~9 min

Lots more moths use ultrasound than previously known

Some moths use ultrasound to warn bats they contain bitter toxins; others are just trying to sound like they'd taste bad, too.

Jerald Pinson-U. Florida • futurity
July 29, 2022 ~8 min

Moths and bats have been in an evolutionary battle for millions of years – and we're still uncovering their tricks

Research has revealed how earless moths manage to avoid bat attacks - by evolving sophisticated acoustic tricks.

Thomas Neil, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Biological Sciences, University of Bristol • conversation
Feb. 21, 2022 ~6 min


Moths use acoustic decoys to dodge bat attacks – new research

These nocturnal insects have amassed an impressive defensive arsenal against bats’ echolocation.

Thomas R Neil, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol • conversation
Sept. 20, 2021 ~7 min

Why the changing colour of our streetlights could be a danger for insect populations

The increasing prevalence of white LED streetlamps spells worrying population declines for insects like moths.

Douglas Boyes, PhD Researcher, Newcastle University • conversation
Aug. 25, 2021 ~8 min

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