Introduction  to recording moth and butterfly species Wales

This introductionary guide  is aimed to encourage those who may be new or unfamiliar with this to begin to submit biological records. It focuses on species generally found in Wales.

Why send in records?

Data about butterflies and moths is vital. It tells us which species are in decline and where to find them and so enables Butterfly Conservation to carry out our work. To be really useful it needs to include all the essential information for a biological record.

So what is a biological record?

The essential information to make up a record is:

• the species seen
• number seen
• date seen
• stage of life cycle (adult, caterpillar, pupa or egg)
• Ordnance Survey grid reference (four or six figure)
• Recorder’s name and contact details

Find out more about how to record species and work out grid references here (scroll to bottom of page).

Records feed into:

• Butterfly Conservation's general recording scheme, known as Butterflies for the New Millennium or BNM. It covers all species of butterflies across the UK and is run in conjunction with the national Biological Records Centre (part of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology).
• Butterfly Conservation’s  National Moth Recording Scheme which has already collected over one million moth records which are used to produce the Moth Atlas and to inform conservation activities.

How to collect and send in your Records 

A. For a few sightings, or if you are not yet confident of your identification:

This is easy using the free iRecord Butterflies app on your phone. It will help you identify the species, add the grid reference and send the record in. 

Field guides and identification books are available from our shop.

B. If you are confident in your identification: 

Collect your Record data (as listed above) into a form. Our downloadable forms at the bottom of this page contain drop down lists of all but the species that are uncommon in Wales and also exclude most micro moths, so they are less cumbersome to use. If you identify species not listed then please create your own form, in a similar format. Please include photos when possible.

Send your forms at least once a year, by December to the County Butterfly Recorder and County Moth Recorder for your local area.  In some areas one person may perform both roles.  If you have records from more than one Vice County please send separate forms to the relevant County Recorders.

Background This page focuses on the collection of casual records i.e. those not gathered as part of a formal systematic survey by more experienced recorders. The downloadable forms list the species known to be found in Wales but exclude those rarely seen and most micro moths. This is because the aim is to make the forms easy to use with lists of manageable length. Drop-down lists of vernacular names enable easier data entry for the less experienced and consistent spelling. Scientific names can be added optionally, if known.