When many think of moths, their minds go regretfully to the holes in their favourite cashmere. However, a butterfly charity has urged Britain to rethink their perception of the bug and argued that it is unfairly maligned.

Their reputation comes despite the fact that only two of the more than 2,500 UK species of moth in the UK are known to feed on fabrics, Butterfly Conservation said.

A YouGov poll for the wildlife charity found 74 per cent of people linked moths to negative things, including 64pc who thought of them as eating clothes and a third who associated them with being pests.

Perhaps partly due to their reputation, two thirds of common moth species have declined in the last 40 years. Since 1914 there have been 56 moth extinctions, and just six of these have since recolonised or been re-found.

The abundance of the UK’s larger moths has also crashed during the past 40 years with three species becoming extinct since 2000.

This is a problem, as the creatures are important pollinators and a vital fixture of our gardens and parks.

The wildlife charity is therefore launching a new campaign, called Moths Matter, which will reveal how the insects are a key food source for many creatures, from bats to small mammals, and play an important role in pollinating wildflowers including orchids, and garden plants.