What is brightly-coloured, has wings covered in cool patterns and a big long tongue that sucks nectar out of flowers? Not butterflies… I’m talking about marvellous moths!

Moths are a little misunderstood and very mysterious. Many people don’t realise that they are really important pollinators – drinking nectar from flowers, picking up pollen on their way and dropping it onto the next bloom – and though some species fly during the day, most moths are active in the dead of night so are rarely seen. But this doesn’t mean you have to live a moth-free life – there are lots of ways you can try to see them even after the sun goes down.

I spent last summer and autumn doing just this. I’ve always loved moths and was determined to discover what visited my little urban garden, so I bought a moth trap that uses light. The light sits above a wooden box with a gap in the top, so when the moths fly into the light, they fall down the gap and into the box. Inside there are lots of egg cartons for them to hide inside until morning. When the sun comes up all you need to do is turn off the trap, gently take out the egg boxes and see which moths you’ve caught.

Inspecting a moth trap is like opening presents on Christmas Day

But you might not just catch moths in your trap – part of the fun is uncovering things like parasitic wasps, or sexton beetles that feed on dead animals! Some people have even caught pond-dwelling diving beetles in their moth traps.

One of the best things about moth trapping is that you don’t even need a traditional box-style trap. You can attract moths with just a white sheet and a powerful torch, or by making a wine rope.

Of course, it always helps if your garden is an attractive place for your local moths to visit. Create a moth and caterpillar buffet by avoiding pesticides and planting flowers they love feeding from. Honeysuckle, clover, buddleia, red valerian, scabious, lavender and fuchsia are all adored by different species of moths, and some can be planted in pots in gardens with less space.