The month of November has the curious honour of having two moths named after it. The November moth and Pale November moth both fly in this month, though the species most likely to be found in your average Wild Space is the less choosy November Moth. The female winter moths are wingless- giving them this Halloween themed appearance!
Females of this species will lay their eggs upon almost any native deciduous tree or shrub, including apple, oak, sallows and hazel. Like many of the species that fly late in the year, the eggs remain attached tightly to the bare branches and won’t hatch until next spring when they can feed upon fresh leaves. Avoiding trimming too often or laying snipped stems and branches in a pile nearby can help protect this new generation of moths.
And while we love to see the moths doing well, I also realise how important they are as food for birds. Caterpillars of species like the November, Autumnal and Winter Moths (all their real names!) are vital to the diet of young birds like Blue Tits, which have been estimated to eat 35 billion caterpillars every year!
November also happens to be the start of the tree planting season. This is best done when trees are dormant. A really quick and cheap way to get trees in the ground is to buy them as ‘bare root trees’, which have little or no soil around the roots. This way you can get them delivered through the post or buy them relatively inexpensively at good garden centres and tree nurseries. As ever, our advice is to go for native trees where possible, as butterflies and moths prefer to lay their eggs upon native plants. You can even find dwarf variations that you can grow in pots in smaller Wild Spaces.
Finally, you can also help next year’s springtime butterflies by planting bulbs now! Not all flowering plants produce nectar, but the best for butterflies and moths include:
If you are also interested in helping bees, plants like Allium, Gladiolus and Snake’s-head Fritillary are good choices.
When planting bulbs, just follow the instructions on the pack. In my Wild Space I have bulbs throughout my mini-meadow, to give interest early in the year. But for me they are most useful in pots and planters as most of them prefer the dry conditions of pots instead of the cold, damp soil in winter.
For more ideas on what to do in your Wild Space over the winter, visit What To Do In Your Wild Space This Winter – Wild Spaces
