UK MOTHS

The main aim of this set of images is not to showcase the photography; rather the intention is to illustrate that moths can be just as beautiful as butterflies. Obviously I have selected examples to make this case. The variation in structure and 'design' is striking - from large-bodied, fast flying hawkmoths to delicate geometrids. Some species are on the wing in every month of the year, with adaptations to survive cold weather in winter months. Why would any species fly in winter? They can avoid predation by bats. Most species are nocturnal and some of these examples illustrate the magnificent camouflge that enables them to evade predators whilst they rest in the daytime. I hope these illustrations dispel the notion that moths are little brown things that eat your clothes.

Pictures were taken with either a Canon EOS 7D or an EOS 5D Mk IV using a Sigma 150mm 1:2.8 APO MACRO DG HSM or a Sigma 180mm 1:3.5 APO MACRO DG HSM lens. The camera was mounted on a tripod with the head inverted (see Methods, Photographing moths), except for moths viewed from the side, when conventional tripod mounting was used. Serial RAW images, at different focal planes, were imported into Photoshop and focus stacking was used to compensate for the depth of field.

Hover your cursor over each thumbnail to see the species, then click on the thumbnails to access the enlarged image on its own page. Hit the BACK button to return to the thumbnails

DREPANIDAE

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LASIOCAMPIDAE

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GEOMETRIDAE

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SPHINGIDAE

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NOTODONTIDAE

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EREBIDAE

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NOCTUIDAE

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