Creatures of the Night

This coming Sunday (September 10) will see an unusual event being held in the oldest part of Falmouth Cemetery.

The event is named 'Creatures of the Night' and will take place from 7.30 to 11.00 pm, people are invited to drop in to discover what creatures have been attracted to a moth trap and a special lamp designed for attracting moths, and other night-flying insects.

The organiser Madeleine Fabusova is a masters student at the University of Exeter's Penryn campus. Madeleine wants to connect the local community with the science being carried out at the university.

Last Saturday she ran a Mothing Morning at the campus where people could see her open moth traps while she shared her knowledge and answered questions from an inquisitive audience. In all 87 moths from 22 species were seen.

When talking about this event, Madeleine said: "It will be an opportunity for people to discover who takes over the night shift pollinating, when your usual known pollinators go to bed."

Madeleine will be joined by Kevin Thomas who manages Falmouth Nature's social media. Speaking about the event he said, "This is an opportunity to experience what most people, myself included, usually only see on television, watching programmes such as Spring Watch. It really will be an evening of discovery as no one can predict what we will see".

As an example of this, while visiting the cemetery in the previous week, Madeleine and Kevin found a Dark Waspgrabber (Leopoldius calceatus). This was the first time this species has been recorded in Cornwall and only the 14th UK record since being first discovered in Ipswich in 2018.

The rare Leopoldius Calceatus that was found. (Image: Supplied)

Additionally, many hoverflies, bees, and butterflies were spotted, illustrating the great diversity the cemetery holds.

Anyone wishing to drop into the event should enter the cemetery through the gates on Pennance Road that lead to the chapel and make their way to the left side of the chapel. People visiting after dark should bring a torch and wear suitable shoes.

The full address is Pennance Road, Falmouth TR11 4EB.