When recording moths in Lancashire, you need to be aware of the acceptance criteria. We have recorded over 1570 species in Lancashire, many of which are rare or difficult to separate. It is not unreasonable to get 150-200 species of macro-moth in a garden through a year given the effort and location; delve into the micro moths and you could add a lot more. The guidelines below help the recorder to identify which are common and which need a little more scrutiny. Many Macro moths are relatively easy to identify once you’ve started but there is a Lancashire Lepidoptera facebook group where people can help you when you’re starting out (we’ve all been there!). There are also tips and suggestions in the Getting Started page.
Guidelines for recorders by species 2024 (download Excel file)
Guidance on use of Pheromone Lures (pdf)
MAPMATE USERS: Please ensure you update your maps regularly and check that you’ve got your filters set correctly. Please see following guides (compiled by Graham Dixon).
Updating maps (pdf)
Setting filters (pdf)
British Checklist of Lepidoptera
Agassiz Checklist
Here is a copy of the full British Lepidoptera list as of February 2019 with ABH & Bradley numbering system: Agassiz Checklist 2019 (download Excel file)
Risk Assessments
Moth trapping is usually a fairly innocuous activity, but there can be dangers to watch out for, especially if trapping out in the wilds. For your info and especially if you get involved in running any sessions for the public, here are some guidelines on risk assessments that you may find useful, courtesy of Terry Whitaker and Butterfly Conservation.
View or download the files here: H&S Guidance (pdf)
Watsonian Vice Counties – what are they and why are they still used?
Hewett Cottrell Watson (1804-1881) was a noted English amateur botanist. Between 1852 and 1883 he devised a series of units of suitable size to allow the recording of species within a defined, unchanging area covering all the counties of England , Ireland , Northern Ireland , Scotland and Wales . These boundaries, the Watsonian Vice Counties, were drawn on large scale maps and are held today at the British Museum of Natural History in London .
This continuity of recording area allows county lists to remain stable despite the frequent changes to county boundaries that have occurred over the intervening years.
Lancashire was divided into two Vice Counties, VC59 and 60, with the dividing line between the two being the River Ribble. The southern boundary is the River Mersey (or at least its course in 1883!). Details of the precise boundaries of each vice county can be seen on the accompanying map, the boundaries being delineated by the coastline and solid black lines.
The South Lancashire recorders have adopted VC59 as their defined recording area in line with national recording of moths. The North Lancashire recorders have similarly adopted VC60