British Moths
Moths come in different colours, patterns and sizes; most fly at night but many fly by day.
Click on any green-framed image link below to enter the section. All photos copyright.
DAY-FLYING MOTHS
(many
fly by day and night)
English common names shown where available; where not, scientific names shown.
Hummingbird Hawk-moth
Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet
5-spot Burnet
6-spot Burnet
Burnet Companion
Chimney Sweeper
Mint Moth - Golden
Cinnabar
Ruby Tiger
Jersey Tiger
Cream-spot Tiger
Scarlet Tiger
Crimson Speckled
The Forester
Silver Y
Essex Y
Hawaiian Beet Webworm
Mother Shipton
Common Heath
Common Heath
Latticed Heath
Shaded Broad-bar
Middle-barred Minor
Vapourer
Oak Eggar (m)
Green Oak Roller
Drab Looper
Nettle-tap
Green Longhorn Fairy
Fairy Moth
Raspberry Clearwing
Variable Smudge
Synaphe punctalis
Grapholita jungiella
Pea Moth
Sulphur Tubic
Rosy-striped Knot-horn
Timothy Tortrix
Hoary Bell
Marsh Pug
Cmn. Oak Purple
Argyresthia goedartella
Moths and butterflies are in the order Lepidoptera, from the Greek for scales on their wings,
the scales making up the colours and patterns.
Moths don't have the clubbed antennae that most butterflies have. There are some 2,500 species
of moth in the UK.
NIGHT-FLYING MOTHS (mainly night-flying but can be disturbed in the day)
Elephant Hawk-moth
Elephant Hawk-moth
Eyed Hawk-moth
Lime Hawk-moth
Oleander Hawk-moth
Poplar Hawk-moth
Emperor moth (f)
Small Elephant H-m
Death's-head Hawk-moth
Privet Hawk-moth
Pine Hawk-moth
Convolvulus Hawk-moth
Red Underwing
Merveille du jour
Buff Tip
Blotched Emerald
Swallow-tailed
The Spectacle
Garden Tiger
Jersey Tiger
Brimstone
The Herald
Dusky Thorn
Canary-shouldered Thorn
Feathered Thorn
August Thorn
August Thorn
Early Thorn
Angle Shades
Swallow Prominent
Lsr. Swallow Prominent
Lsr. Swallow Prominent
Old Lady
Peach Blossom
Puss Moth
Scarce Silver-lines
Green Silver-lines
The Magpie
Small Magpie
Burnished Brass
Burnished Brass
Peppered
White Satin
Pale Tussock (m)
Pale Tussock (f)
White Ermine
Buff Ermine
Lobster Moth
Gypsy Moth (m)
The Flame
Buff Arches
Buff Arches
Light Arches
Dark Arches
Black Arches
Kent Black Arches
Common Emerald
Light Emerald
Light Emerald
Large Emerald
Grass Emerald - faded
Large Ranunculus
Small Ranunculus
Yellow Shell
The Sallow - form 1
The Sallow - form 2
Pink-barred Sallow
Barred Yellow
Centre-barred Sallow
Barred Straw
Ghost Moth (m)
Ghost Moth (f)
Orange Swift
Common Swift
Lunar Marbled Brown
Lunar-spotted Pinion
Lunar Underwing
Large Yellow Underwing
Large Yellow Underwing
Lesser Yellow U'wing
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Copper Underwing
Straw Underwing
Straw Underwing
Bordered Straw
Pale Prominent
Pale Prominent
Iron Prominent
Flame Shoulder
Brown-tail
Yellow-tail
Oak Hook-tip (m)
Oak Hook-tip (f)
Beautiful Hook-tip
Pebble Hook-tip
Willow Beauty
Mottled Beauty
Engrailed
Blood-vein
Small Blood-vein
Maiden's Blush
Brown Silver-line
The Lackey
Ground Lackey
The Brick
Clouded Border
Box Tree Moth
Beautiful China Mark
Brown China Mark
Elder Pearl
Ringed Chinamark
Ringed Chinamark
Common Rustic
Common Rustic
Lesser Common Rustic
Square-spot Rustic
Clancy's Rustic
Vine's Rustic
Mottled Rustic
Brown Rustic
The Uncertain
Six-striped Rustic
Setaceous Hebrew Ch.
Hebrew Character
Double Square-spot
Small Square-spot
Heart and Dart
Heart and Club
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Dun-bar
Scalloped Oak
Oak Lutestring
Oak Processionary
Oak Eggar (f)
White-point
The Clay
Ingrailed Clay
Brown-line Bright-eye
Bright-line Brown-eye
Dot Moth
Early Grey
Poplar Grey
The Sycamore
Knot Grass
Grey Dagger
Dark Dagger
Mouse Moth
Smokey Wainscot
Common Wainscot
Shoulder-striped W'scot
Southern Wainscot
L-album Wainscot
Small Wainscot
The Delicate
Lesser Treble-bar
Treble-bar
Treble Lines
Figure of Eight
Figure of Eighty
Frosted Orange
Frosted Green
Brindled Green
Green-brindled Crescent
Pale Brindled Beauty
Nut-tree Tussock
The Nutmeg
Common Quaker
Powdered Quaker
The Snout
The Drinker (m)
The Drinker (f)
Leopard moth
The Coronet
The Lychnis
The Blackneck
Mother of Pearl
Grass Webworm
Pale Mottled Willow
July High Flier
The Streamer
Small Phoenix
Red Twin-spot Carpet
Red Twin-spot Carpet
Large Twin-spot Carpet
Blue-bordered Carpet
Garden Carpet
Common Carpet
Common Carpet
Silver-ground Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet
Green Carpet
Green Carpet - faded
Autumn Green Carpet
Red-green Carpet
Grey Pine Carpet
Grey Pine Carpet
Spruce Carpet
Yellow-barred Brindle
Scorched Carpet
Least Carpet
Common Wave
Common White Wave
Clouded Silver
Riband Wave - form 1
Riband Wave - form 1
Riband Wave - form 2
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Scollop
Small Dusty Wave
Mullein Wave
Treble Brown Spot
Single-dotted wave
The Mocha
Waved Black
The Fern
Waved Umber
Mottled Umber
November Moth
Winter Moth
The Fan-foot
Small Fan-foot
Dotted Border
Small Dotted Buff
Dingy Shears
Short-cloaked Moth
Cloaked Minor
Middle-barred Minor
Rosy Minor
Tawny Marbled Minor
Marbled Minor
Dingy Shell
Marbled White Spot
The Vestal
Oak Nycteoline
Marbled Beauty - blue
Marbled Beauty - green
Marbled Beauty - grey
Tree-lichen Beauty
SMALL MOTHS CONTINUED (Link above)
