Wildlife lovers are being asked to check their gardens for humming-birds in a bid to find out if one of the world’s most striking moths is attempting to colonise the UK.

The Humming-bird Hawk-moth, which is found on continental Europe, beats its wings 80 times every second, which allows it to hover with humming-bird like precision over flower heads.

Typically only a summer visitor to the UK, in recent years the warming climate has seen the day-flying moth successfully over-winter in greenhouses and sheltered locations in South West England.

There have been large influxes of the moth in 2000, 2006 and 2011 and hopes are high that 2016 could witness another ‘hummer summer’ as the long distance migrant attempts to gain a foothold in the UK.

Butterfly Conservation head of recording Richard Fox said: "This year Moth Night is focussing on Hawk-moths, some of the largest, fastest and most glamorous moths found in the UK.

Spotting a Humming-bird Hawk-moth has long been considered a good omen – a small swarm of the orange and brown moths was famously seen flying over the Channel on D Day in 1944.

Moth Night 2016 runs from 9 – 11 June and will include moth trapping events across the UK.