Green-veined White

Here's the very fresh-looking Green-veined White (Pieris napi) that we saw on today's walk. It's probably Ireland’s most common butterfly. It is one of six members of the Pieridae family resident in Ireland. Among the others are the Orange-tip.

The veins of the hindwings covered with black scales give it its trademark green appearance. The larval foodplants include lady's smock and other cresses. The adult butterflies can be seen flying between April and September.

Large moths

During the summer several large moths are active in the locality. These include the Elephant Hawkmoth with a wingspan of 45-60 mm, the Poplar Hawkmoth (70-100 mm) and the Garden Tiger (45-65 mm). These have all been recorded in Baltrasna and Marlinstown in the past few years. This morning an additional large moth was recorded in Marlinstown for the first time.

This is the spectacular Eyed Hawkmoth (Smerinthus ocellata) and is of the same immediate family as the Poplar Hawkmoth. It has a wingspan of 70-80 mm. Its larva feeds on willows, apple trees and crab apple trees (both wild and cultivated). Although you might not spot this important pollinator at night, you might see its large lime-green caterpillar during the day (from June to September).

Marsh Marigold

On our monthly biodiversity walk on Saturday we saw the first flowering Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) on the canal bank. It's a member of the Ranunculaceae family, which includes buttercups. It's a perennial plant that dies down in autumn and overwinters with its buds near the surface of marshy soil.

We can look out for the micro-moth Micropterix calthella that feeds on Marsh Marigold. Its flight season is from April to early July. It bites open the anther (the pollen-producing part of the stamen) of the Marsh Marigold to eat the pollen. The caterpillars are present in summer and autumn.