Euro Cup 2016 wrapped up on Sunday with Portugal beating France 1-0. It was a final game that some have called “boring” and “uninspiring.” But thankfully, for people like Richard Fox, there was something else to watch on the screen. That is, a giant swarm of moths terrorizing players and spectators.
“I was just expecting to settle down for a very relaxing evening watching the football match and all of a sudden all of the commentators were talking about the moths,” Fox tells As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner. “You just couldn’t avoid them. Even without having an interest in moths — they were just everywhere!”
(Josie Latus/Butterfly Conservation)
Fox works for the UK charity Butterfly Conservation. He says the majority of the insects were Silver Y moths — a common migratory species. Fox suspects the flood lights at Stade de France drew in thousands of migrating moths the night before the match.
Once the players took to the pitch, Fox says the moths were confused and “clouds” of the disoriented insects rose from the grass.
“They’re landing on players, landing on cameras, on equipment, on supporters and it’s really just quite a moth fest going on,” Fox explains.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo grimaces on the ground after a clash with France’s Dimitri Payet, 2nd left, during the Euro 2016 final soccer match between Portugal and France. (Martin Meissner/AP)
One opportunistic moth stole the spotlight from the star of the contest, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. When the famous forward went down with an injury early in the match, the moth swarmed his teary-eyed face as he was receiving medical attention.
“[It] landed right on his face!” Fox explains.
He believes the moths were using a wind pattern from the southwest. If that’s true, the swarm was heading for the United Kingdom. In a post-Brexit world, the irony wasn’t lost on Fox.
“Whatever our politicians and the people might think, Britain is geographically part of Europe. The moths don’t care at all about our politics. They see Britain as part of Europe. It’s an easy hop for them to cross the Channel.”
Between tailwinds and their own flight power, Fox says the moths can achieve speeds of 50 km/h.
