Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Ourapteryx (?) sambucaria (?)

Adult Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria - unknown subspecies) at Geddington, Northants - June 2009

Featured Subspecies: ?
Wingspan: 40-50mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A distinctive looking moth that is fairly common in the UK, the larvae is found on shrubs, elder, hawthorn, honeysuckle and ivy. The name comes from the distinctive projections on the back of the wings which are vaguely remeniscent of  the tails of a swallow. Their flight time is between June and August and they primarily fly at night.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Ourapteryx 
SUBSPECIES: - unclear - 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Small Grass Emerald (Chlorissa viridata)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Chlorissa ("?") viridata ("green")

Adult Small Grass Emerald (subspecies C. v. melinaria) at Geddington, Northants - June 2011

Featured Subspecies: Chlorissa viridata melinaria
Wingspan: 24-27mm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A scarce and local species, the Small Grass Emerald is mostly restricted to the South of England where it is found in moorland habitats suitable for it's foodplants of heather and birch.  This moth had flown into our house one night, which is a little odd as as far as I can find out we are out of the normal range for this moth.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Chlorissa
SUBSPECIES: C. v. virdata, C. v. melinaria, C. v. insigniata

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata)

OTHER NAMES: The Magpie

Featured Subspecies: Abraxas (a type of ancient medieval amulet) grossulariata (?)

Adult Magpie Moth (subspecies A. g. grossulariata) at Geddington, Northants - August 2016

Featured Subspecies: Abraxas grossulariata grossulariata
Wingspan: 35-40mm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A distinctive moth of North America and the Northern Palearctic, it is a fairly common species in the UK.  Unusually for butterflies and moths, the catepillar of this species actually has a similar colour scheme to the adult.  They feed on current and gooseberry bushes as a catepillars and as such can be seen as pest be people who cultivate them.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Abraxas 
SUBSPECIES: A. g. grossulariata, A. g. karafutonis, A. g. conspurcata, A. g. dsungarica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Chimney Sweeper (Odezia atrata)

OTHER NAMES: Chimney Sweeper Moth, Chimney Sweep

Latin Etymology: Odezia (?) atrata (?)

Adult Chimney Sweeper (subspecies O. a. atrata) at Geddington, Northants - June 2015

Featured Subspecies: O. a. atrata
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 23-27mm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A small distinctive species of moth that is day flying - particularly in bright sunshine - yet almost entirely black except for the fringes of it's forewings.  It inhabits grassy meadows, especially in chalky or limestone based areas. It has only a single generation per year flying in June and July.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Odezia 
SUBSPECIES: O. a. atrata, O. a. meridionalis, O. a. pyrenaica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Shaded Broad-Bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)

OTHER NAMES: Shaded Broad Bar

Latin Etymology: Scotopteryx (?) chenopodiata (?)

Adult Shaded Broad-bar (subspecies S. c. sibirica) at Brigstock, Northants - July 2011

Featured Subspecies: Scotopterx chenopodiata sibirica
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 25-30mm
UK Status: Not Yet Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

A fairly common day-flying moth species in my area, I have most often seen it in the nearby woodland, possibly associated with areas of hawthorn, although I don't have enough information on this species to tell if it is a coincidence.  It is most distinctive when landed, as then you can see the horizontal bar of it's name.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Scotopteryx
SUBSPECIES: S. c. siberica, S. c. sibirica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species

 - Seen in Brigstock

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Heath Moth (Ematurga atomaria)

OTHER NAMES: Common Heath 

Latin Etymology: Ematurga (?) atomaria ("sprinkled with tiny dots")

Adult Common Heath Moth (Ematurga atomaria) at Brigstock, Northants - May 2012

Featured subspecies: N/A
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 22-30mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Common Heath Moth is a common day-flying species found throughout Britain.  It is a very variable species in appearance, capable of possessing a very wide variety of patterns through a range of colours from oranges to browns and creams.  As caterpillars they feed on heather, heath and clovers and fly in May and June.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Ematurga
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident.

 - Seen in Brigstock 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Opisthograptis (?) luteolata (?)

Adult Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) at Geddington, Northants - July 2011

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 32-37mm
UK Status: Not Evaluated / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Brimstone moth is a very distinctive species which can pretty much be identified by colour alone. To add a tiny bit of complexity, the Brimstone Butterfly, an entirely separate species, is also the same toxic yellow, however, they both move very much like a moth and a butterfly respectively,so hopefully that shouldn't be an issue. Mainly nocturnal in theory, it may occasionally, as in this case, be seen in the day.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Opisthograptis
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Colostygia (?) pectinataria ("combed")

Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) at Geddington, Northants, UK - July 2018

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 22-28mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A distinctively mottled green moth widely found in the Palearctic from Iberia to the Arctic Circle to Central Asia. They can live in varied habitats such as forests, bogs and heathland, feeding primarily on bedstraws, docks and dead nettles as larvae.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Colostygia 
SUBSPECIES: ?

 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM 
Seen in Geddington 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Idaea ("of Mount Ida") seriata ("in serieal order")

Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata) at Geddington, Northants - August 2026

Featured Subspecies: Idaea seriata seriata
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 19-21mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A small unobtrusive moth with a variety of different colour forms although all are fairly drab. They are found in much of Europe and in the UK are on the wing from June to September.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Idaea
SUBSPECIES: I. s. canteneraria, I. s. seriata
 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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-Unnamed species - (Nemoria dorsilinea)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Nemoria ("of the grove") dorsilinea ("line back")

Nemoria dorsilinea at San Gerardo de dota, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ? /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 25mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A species of emerald moth endemic to the mountain forests of Costa Rica at San Gerardo de Dota. It is identified from other emerald moths of the region by the white line running down its back.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Nemoria
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 
 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA 

Endemic to the Talamancan Montane Forest Ecoregion
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at San Gerardo de Dota 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Speckled Yellow (Pseudopanthera macularia)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Pseudopanthera ("panther like") macularia ("spotted")

 

Speckled Yellow (Pseudopanthera macularia) at Cumbria, UK - June 2022

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: cm  /  Wingspan: 23-28mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A vibrantly coloured moth native to Europe and found from Iberia to Siberia. They primarily feed on woodsage, and is diurnal making it easy to mistake for a butterfly. In some populations the spots form more into bands,
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Pseudopanthera
SUBSPECIES: ?
 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A widespread resident

- Seen in Cumbria 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Light Emerald (Campaea margaritaria)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Campaea ("caterpillar") margaritaria ("pearly")

Adult Light Emerald (Campaea margaritaria) at Geddington, Northants- June 2024

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 42-54mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A widespread moth which feeds on a number of our most familiar plants and trees like silver birch, oaks, chestnuts, hawthorn and blackthorn. In the south of the country it can have two generations per year, with a second wave of individuals appearing in August and September.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Geometridae 
Genus: Campaea
SUBSPECIES: ?
 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident

 - Seen in Geddington 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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