Moth Mornings and Bug Hunts

Moth Mornings and Bug Hunts are coming to the Portsmouth Natural History Museum on Wednesday 12 August, and the same thing runs again on Wednesday 26 August. Both days run from 9.30am to 3pm, so it's a proper full-day thing rather than a quick pop-in.

The morning starts with the moths. The museum sets light traps overnight, and when you arrive, you get to see what flew in. You can help identify and record them, and then they're released back into the wild. From there, the day shifts to the garden, where you'll be out on bug hunts. The goal is to help build a record of the insects and other minibeasts living in the museum's own garden, so you're actually contributing to a local list as you go.

There's more to it than just the hunting, too. You can explore trays of insects from the museum's collections, and there are rubbing posts to make your own insect drawings. There's also a tick-off list to keep track of the little creatures you spot throughout the day. Between the moth-watching, the garden hunts, the collections, and the drawing, it's a lot to get through in one go, so it's the kind of thing you'll want to take the kids along to.

The whole thing is part of 100Habitats, which is celebrating Portsmouth's centenary as a city in 2026. It's a nice way to spend a summer Wednesday if you've got the day free. Both dates are Wednesdays, 12 and 26 August, from 9.30am to 3pm at the Portsmouth Natural History Museum.