Although moths totally dominate the Lepidoptera with around 2,500 species compared with just 57 native species of butterfly, they are not taxonomically separated in the same way. Whereas the butterfly families are all conveniently grouped together within their own superfamily Papilionoidea, moths are placed into a multitude of superfamilies and families with no single higher taxon. This has led, in part, to an informal division where the large moths are separated from the generally smaller and more primitive species commonly known as 'micro-moths'. Classification varies but, as far as I can deduce, there are over 1600 species of 'micro-moth' in 48 or so families, and close on 900 species of larger 'macro-moth' in 19 families. Whilst the vast majority are nocturnal, quite a few are day-flying moths and, although they're certainly not as conspicuous as butterflies, there are a number of species that can be encountered during the day. 

 

My interest is primarily with the daytime species simply because I like watching and photographing insects in their natural habitat. That's not to say that I'd ignore taking a 'record shot' of a night-flying moth that has settled on the side of the house or a window and is still there in the morning, as there are certainly a couple of those featured below. In most cases they're pretty evident from the unnatural setting. However, a further, and not so obvious, situation occurs when a night-flying moth has been attracted to light and is then photographed the following morning when released. Although, at the time of writing, it's only been used a couple of times, I do own a moth-trap that was purchased to see what species we get in the garden, but rather than trying to identify an individual in situ I prefer to take a photo. Sometimes they fly, but very often they can be carefully placed on a plant and although an expert would know that it was a staged shot, I prefer to disclose the fact.     

 

Moths in general are supported by some excellent field guides as well as couple of equally good online resources and, for the more casual observer like myself, there's even a book solely for the day-flying species. Although there's no clear-cut definition, it does identify 133 species of 'macro-moth' that are known daytime flyers. Some of these species, such as the Burnets, behave in much the same way as butterflies, whilst others will readily fly if disturbed. There are also quite a number of 'micro-moths' that can be found during the day. The book helps to break the numbers down and provides some focus and understanding regarding the species that are likely to be seen. I think it's useful to separate these known daytime flying moths from the nocturnal species that may occasionally be seen, hence the (DF) indicator after the scientific name.

 

Talking about names, it's interesting to note that moths are regularly referred to by a given common name exactly the same way that butterflies are. Many frequently encountered insects have common names, but it's only the Lepidoptera where all species have such a name. I've used the common name as the primary identifier followed by the recognised checklist number as explained in the butterfly introductory write-up. 

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Whilst the following list is in taxonomic and checklist order, I've kept it as compact as possible by omitting the higher superfamily, and lower subfamily and/or tribe, rankings that are fully referenced on the accompanying linked species accounts. The best field guides for most people use photos for identification so there's no point trying to describe species on the individual accounts, but there is merit in listing important information such as their distribution status, preferred habitat, larval foodplants and flight behaviour and seasons in a compact and consistent form, as it provides a useful reference even though I've barely scratched the surface in respect of the species that may be found.