The warm air moving north from Africa provides perfect moth weather. Moths, 95% of which are night-flying, need warmth to fly, just as their day-flying counterparts do. When I headed toward Lullymore, Kildare at 6 am to see what our catch was, the air temperature was 18 Celsius. Expectations of a high abundance and species diversity were high and fulfilled. The provisional figures for species are 130, including the extreme rarity, Suspected Parastichtis suspecta. The Flame Axylia putris, a common species, was particularly abundant. It is enjoying a good year in the region.
Let me see! It is great to get that quick photo, because some moths don’t pose for long.
A wonderful feature of our event was the age range and the enthusiasm of everyone present. Children, college students and older adults were crowded around packed moth traps, enthusiasm barely contained as event leader Philip Strickland carefully inspected individual egg cartons, and Conor recorded the moth list.
Part of Conor’s moth list…
Three Robinson traps were opened at the wonderful Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, and portable traps at Lullymore West Bog were checked earlier in the morning. Last year was quite a poor one for moths, except for the autumn period. Moth populations look better this year, but are not as high as they were in the area in 2012, the last time we trapped in the area. They might need another year to recover.
Robinson Moth Trap showing moths settled in egg cartons.The Elephant Hawkmoth, a popular moth, especially with children.The Shark, an example of adaptive coloration and structure, is an intriguing moth.The Swallow-tail moth is a lovely and delicate moth with a short flight period.
After the traps were checked and moths recorded and photographed, we had refreshments upstairs in the centre before our training on moth trapping and identification. The slide show covered the ecological importance of moths, showed the most common species and a few notable rare species, such as Burren Green Calamia tridens, moth trapping techniques, recording and licensing requirements.
Moth trapping and recording training at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore.
Robinson moth traps and moth guides purchased with the support of the Heritage Council grant to Butterfly Conservation Ireland were provided to enthusiastic Butterfly Conservation Ireland members. They are looking forward to trapping and recording moths. One of the great pleasures of moth trapping is the excitement of seeing so many ‘surprises.’ We see species never encountered in daylight, despite being present in our gardens and wilder places. There are 1505 species in Ireland, so there is so much to discover.
This Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoth caterpillar was shown at the event. Some moth caterpillars are hard to find, but this is one of the more findable larvae. It feeds on Devil’s-bit Scabious leaves typically in June and July.
One never tires of the magic of moths. Their colour, patterning, shape, and size range are simply mesmerically complex. Their occupancy of differing habitats makes them among the most comprehensive of ecological health indicators. If you enjoy nature and care about conservation, you need to learn more about moths!
Thanks are due to Philip Strickland for setting the traps and leading the event, to Richella Duggan for promoting the event, to Nuala Madigan of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council for providing the venue and refreshments, everyone who attended and to the Heritage Council for their generous financial support for the event and purchase of moth traps and the projector used for the training.
Butterfly Conservation Ireland invites Butterfly Conservation Ireland members and the members of the public to a Moth Morning at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare.
The Lilac Beauty lives up to its name. The crimpled forewing adds interest and variety to its outline.
This event is generously supported by a grant from The Heritage Council. The Heritage Council are supporting the purchase of a projector, moth traps, and moth identification guides to support the study, distribution mapping and abundance recording of our moth populations.
The Green Silver-lines is one of our target species.
Moths are a mystery to most of us. Seen as shadowy and destructive by some, they are very important pollinators and vital to the healthy functioning of our ecosystems, so it is important to know more about them. Many species are also extremely beautiful, and only a tiny number of scarce species nibble on our clothes.
This event will be used to introduce moths and to train aspiring moth trappers to trap, identify, record and log records of moths. The outdoor opening of the moth traps will be followed by a slide show indoors.
EVENT DETAILS
When
Saturday, 28th June 2025: Meeting at 7:00 am.
Where
Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare, R51 V293.
How to Get There
The site is reached from Allenwood by taking the R414 west and crossing Shee Bridge 1km from Allenwood on the left. Continue for 4 km. The Bog of Allen Nature Centre is on the right. Turn right and enter the car park. The venue has plenty of parking. A grid reference for the car park is N 70571 25876. See Discovery Series 49.
The Swallow-tailed moth is one of the moths we hope to see in Lullymore.
In a study published by the British Museum, the Republic of Ireland was ranked 13th from the bottom out of 240 countries for biodiversity intactness (Natural History Museum, 2020). Northern Ireland was ranked one place above. The Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) measures biodiversity change using abundance data on plants, fungi and animals worldwide. The Index illustrates how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human pressures, including land use change and intensification. The Biodiversity Intactness Index summarises the change in ecological communities in response to human pressures. The BII is an estimated percentage of the original number of species that remain and their abundance in any given area, despite human impacts. The BII is calculated using data from ecological studies conducted worldwide. This data includes more than 54,000 species, encompassing not only birds and mammals, the groups most often used in biodiversity indicators but also plants, fungi and insects.
The destruction of bogs on state land continues in 2025; this bog lies immediately west of the Crabtree River, Co. Kildare.
Ireland has exceeded six of the seven biospherical boundaries (CO2 emissions, material and ecological footprints, land use change and phosphorus and nitrogen) (Murphy 2023), leading to significant adverse impacts on nature and biodiversity. The Biodiversity Intactness Index ranks Ireland in the bottom 10% globally (Natural History Museum, 2020). A key driving factor is habitat loss, as Ireland – similar to the UK – spent two centuries converting land to pasture to support increased livestock numbers (CSO, 2015). National agriculture policy accelerated increases in cattle and sheep in the 1970s, with cattle levels now at record highs. Agriculture occupies 67% of the territory, and Ireland has the second lowest level of terrestrial protected area in the EU at 13.9%, less than half the 30% target by 2030 (EEA, 2023). Other drivers of biodiversity loss include invasive species, pollution, and climate change. Consequently, natural habitats are virtually non-existent in Ireland, and many semi-natural habitats continue to be impacted by human activities.
What are we doing to halt Biodiversity Loss?
In 2019, the national parliament voted to declare both a national Climate and Biodiversity Emergency and in 2023, the Citizen’s Assembly and the Children and Young People’s Assemblies urged the state to take decisive and urgent action. The 2017–2021 biodiversity plan was critiqued for its lack of SMART targets (targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). The new plan (2024) aims to address this with clear implementable actions and a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, with an audit role for the National Biodiversity Forum. The new Biodiversity Action Plan has been on a statutory footing since 2023, with binding goals. However, existing policies and practices in other areas, including agriculture, may inhibit action without a systemic approach.
Nature needs a helping hand.
A Hammer Blow
Indeed, there is evidence for this at the Teagasc conference on extensive grasslands held in Birr, County Offaly, on June 12th. While good practice was described by a number of speakers to an audience of environmentally conscious farmers, the final address, by the Director of Teagasc, Frank O’Mara was a hammer blow to anyone feeling optimistic under the influence of the previous speakers. The Director extolled the economic importance of Perennial Rye-grass monocultures, stating it was vital to the Irish economy and would continue to be a cornerstone of Irish agriculture. This cornerstone produces massive bulk for feeding livestock but only with massive chemical inputs that damage our soils, water, air and biodiversity. This effectively treats soil as dirt, waterways as sewers and turns air into toxic gas.
Meadow Brown is plummeting. The Victorian C.G. Barrett wrote, “There is hardly a grassy field in the United Kingdom from which it is entirely absent.” This cannot be said today.
Anyone who doubts the Director’s avowal of intensive farming is well supported should look at the diminishing abundance of Ireland’s butterfly populations. ‘Plummeting’ is not hyperbole. The Meadow Brown is down 86% from its 2008 abundance over the period 2008-2021; the Green-veined White is down 87.2%, and the Ringlet fell by 88%. All are widespread grassland species, showing widescale decline.
Woodland and Grassland Loss
Let’s look at just two habitat classes, woodland and grassland. Native woodland has almost disappeared. Ireland has no large forest. Only 2% of the land area of the Republic of Ireland contains native woodland. And we are still not learning. We continue to favour non-native trees for plantations. The Tree Council of Ireland proudly displayed a poster of trees grown in Ireland at the Bloom Festival in early June. Lodgepole Pine, Sitka Spruce and Sycamore had pride of place. The lady at their information stand insisted these trees were good for nature. This is utterly wrong, as far as Ireland’s ecosystems are concerned. Native trees, grown from native sources, are good for biodiversity. Non-native Sycamore feeds two of Ireland’s macro-moths (larger moths). Native Grey Willow, regarded as a weed by foresters, feeds about 121 macro-moths. Our native oaks support an astonishing number of species. The Purple Hairstreak butterfly and 71 macro-moths breed on oak. UK research found 1,178 invertebrate species using oak, and 257 invertebrates rely solely on our two native oaks. This does not include birds, bats, lichens or mosses using the oaks (Environmental Information Data Centre, 2019).
Dry-humid acid grassland, Lullybeg, Kildare. Note the dry, dead grass litter which creates a warm micro-climate which helps invertebrates to develop.
We still have semi-natural grasslands, but these are vanishing, just as our native woods were eliminated, and farming is the main cause of their removal. The Irish Semi-natural Grassland Survey 2007-2012 visited 1,200 sites (O’Neill et al., 2013). A subset of the sites (c.110 sites) were revisited during 2015-2017. Between the two surveys 31% of the area of species-rich calcareous grasslands, 28% of lowland hay meadows and 7% of Molinia (Purple Moor-Grass) meadows were gone. Fifty-seven of these were species-rich calcareous grasslands. Forty-nine per cent of these had lost area and three sites had gone completely. 65 hectares of habitat were lost overall. These are priority habitats, listed in the EU Habitats Directive as requiring protection.
Irish Semi-Natural Grassland Survey: facts at a glance.
What are the main threats to these grasslands? Habitat loss is due to intensive agriculture (fertilisation and re-seeding), forestry and construction and land abandonment which is less dramatic and immediate but is occurring over large areas (O’Neill et al., 2013).
Sixty-seven per cent of the land area of the Republic of Ireland is farmed, up from 64% in 2014 (CSO, 2014). This means that the way farming is carried out is crucial. If farmers continue to apply herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers, drainage, re-seeding and scrub clearing then our climate, soil, water and air pollution will continue to deteriorate, and biodiversity will continue to be lost.
The Director of Teagasc was correct. Who cares about life on earth when massive chemical-mediated production on degraded grassland makes $$$?
References
Citizens’ Assembly. 2023. Report of the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. Dublin: Government Publications.
DHLGH. 2024. Ireland’s 4th National Bio-Diversity Action Plan 2023-2030. Government of Ireland.
European Environment Agency. 2023. “Terrestrial Protected Areas in Europe.” https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/terrestrial-protected-areas-in-europe?activeAccordion=546a7c35-9188-4d23-94ee-005d97c26f2b
Government of Ireland. 2022. Public Consultation on Ireland’s 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan 2021-2027. Government of Ireland.
Harding, J. & Lysaght, L. (Eds.)(2025) An Atlas of Butterflies in Ireland 2010-2021. The National Biodiversity Data Centre, Waterford.
NPWS. 2022. National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021. DHLGH. https://www.npws.ie/legislation/national-biodiversity-plan
O’Neill, F.H., Martin, J.R., Devaney, F.M. & Perrin, P.M. (2013) The Irish semi-natural grasslands survey 2007-2012. Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 78. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland.
