Are all moths grey in the night?

"Every butterfly species is a direct source of information about its habitat," says Dr. Peter Huemer, who works in the natural science section at the Tyrolean State Museums. In our natural and traditional cultural landscapes, moths exist in large numbers in terms of both individuals and species. As long as there are the necessary ecological niches, like coppices, field margins and hedges, they are to be found in even the most intensively used areas of human activity.

Nutrient-poor grassland

Nutrient-poor grassland is only mown once or twice a year and receives little or no fertiliser or is used for extensive grazing. In comparison with intensively managed meadows and pastures, it has a diverse moth fauna including numerous endangered species.

Hedges and thickets

Hedges are a traditional feature of the cultural landscape. With the wealth of herbage along their margins, they offer both food and living space for many species of butterfly and moth.

Forests and forest margins

Many moths live in near-natural forests with an abundance of deciduous trees. They prefer the less dense zones of the forest mantle and margins. The oak alone serves as a nursery for over 200 butterfly and moth species.

Wetlands

The wetlands are home to many specialists, i.e. species that are adapted to one specific habitat and do not occur elsewhere. Bog butterflies find the best conditions on the periphery of the wetland, e.g. in the transitional area to litter meadows with their wealth of flowering plants.

Riverine areas

Carrs on the banks of still waters and near-natural free flowing waterways, like parts of the Danube wetlands and sections of the River Lech in the Tyrol, are highly diverse in terms of structure and habitats. They support a corresponding variety of butterfly and moth species, which used to find ample space in what were once extensive natural habitats. Today only limited areas of refuge remain, and the threat to the butterflies and moths of such riparian habitats is great.

Mountains

Natural and unspoiled habitats, such as dwarf shrub heath and rock and scree communities, are characteristic of mountain landscapes, which are largely unaffected by the impacts of urban light pollution. They are home to a large variety of species of moths and butterflies with big populations. The diversity of species decreases rapidly with increasing altitude, although several species live at over 3000 m above sea-level in the Alps. In view of the cold night temperatures, they are often diurnal, and adaptation to the windy conditions in the high mountains even takes the form of females that are incapable of flight.

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