A collection of Butterflies and Moths mainly from Ireland plus a few from the UK and Portugal

This website is primarily for my own Butterfly and Moth collection. Most of the images were taken in Ireland where I now live, and England. Most of the British images are from the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire areas. There are also a few other species included from my trips to the Algarve in Portugal and Australia. The Irish photographs are mostly from around the Counties of Leitrim and Sligo. Others from Counties Mayo, Cavan and Roscommon.

The study of Butterflies and Moths is known as Lepidoptera. This order of insects play a vital role in natural pollination of plants and of course our food chain such as fruit and vegetables. Although the caterpillars from these insects can quickly cause damage to vast amount of crops. Butterflies and moths undergo complete metamorphosis. This includes four life stages. From egg to larva to pupa to adult. There are far more species of moths than butterflies. Butterflies make up only around ten percent of the Lepidoptera order. In general, butterflies are day flying whereas the moths are nocturnal. Although a few moths are day flying, and some butterflies only fly at dawn or dusk. What is the difference? A butterflies antennae are rather club-shaped with a bulbous end whereas a moths is either feathery, saw-edged or just taper out. Butterflies tend to fold the wings vertical at rest whereas most moths close the wings adjacent to the body. Butterflies are more of the peoples favourite as they are seen to be more colourful and more often seen in bright daylight. The moth is widely considered to have more of a drab colouration than butterflies. Some of the images in my collection however may show that this is not always the case!

Along the way I come across some interesting Birds, Wildlife, and Wildflowers . These are accessed from the links below. Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you wish.     (If only to report any mistakes!)

▼         Select         ▼
John Foss Nature Photography Birds Wild Flowers Wildlife Butterflies Moths Greaghnafarna Ballinaglera Ireland Leitrim Derby England UK Algarve Portugal