Butterflies and Moths

Speckled Wood butterfly

Photograph of a Speckled Wood butterfly resting on a bramble leaf. This butterfly has a brown body with deep brown wings with white speckles on the tips.

Speckled Wood butterfly

Speckled Wood butterfly

Photograph of a Speckled Wood butterfly resting on a bramble leaf. This butterfly has a brown body with deep brown wings with white speckles on the tips.

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Wing Scales

Close up photograph of the wing scales of a butterfly

Wing Scales

Wing Scales

Close up photograph of the wing scales of a butterfly

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Due to the location of the Wexford Sloblands and Harbour, there is a diverse variety of species to be seen and during the summer months. A wide variety of butterflies, moths and dragonflies are recorded in the local area. Migrant and rare species are continually been noted in the area. 

Butterflies, moths and dragonflies are some of the most visual, colourful and attractive of all insect life that inhabits the Wexford Sloblands and harbour area. The warm and mild climate of the 'sunny south-east' and diversity of suitable habitats, are highly conducive to a species rich district.

The attractiveness of these insects is partly due to the brightly coloured and often distinctively patterned wings, which are covered with hundreds of tiny overlapping scales.  

Both butterflies and moths belong to the order of insects known as Lepidoptera - scaly winged and can be told apart, normally by the difference in their antennae; butterflies are 'club-horned' (Rhopalocera) and moths, 'variously-horned' (Heterocera).

In the harbour and slob's area, regular recording of butterflies and to a lesser extent, the larger moth species has taken place over a number. In the Wexford harbour and slob area, the number of butterfly species that have been recorded to date is limited to 21 resident and 3 common migrants.