Limerick branch of Irish Wildlife Trust records oleander hawkmoth for first time this century

AN OLEANDER Hawkmoth, a rare migrant moth to Ireland that breeds in North Africa has been discovered in Limerick. This observation is the first record in Ireland for this century. There had
been only seven records from 1938 to 1997.

Corbally resident, Noel Curtin, was taking a morning walk by the Canal and Abbey River on Thursday
last, and when passing Grove Island shopping centre he saw an amazing moth at the bottom of a shop window. He took its photo and sent it to his friend Mike Quirke, whom he knew had an interest in
butterflies and dragonflies.

Mike checked it out and discovered it was an Oleander Hawkmoth. When it was posted on Insects/Invertebrates of Ireland Facebook page, the news was welcomed with excitement from all over Ireland.

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Mike is a member of a group for insect enthusiasts in Limerick, called the BDBD group - Butterflies,
Damselflies, Bees and Dragonflies. Thanks to the support of the Limerick Biodiversity Officer, Sinead McDonnell, the group is sponsored and organised by the Limerick Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust.

There are no ‘experts’ in the group, just people who want to learn from each other and share their local knowledge. It plans to monitor local habitats for damselflies and dragonflies over the seasons in 2025, as well as to encourage the recording of butterflies and bees in Limerick to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Anyone interested should contact the branch through their Facebook page, Irish Wildlife Trust - Limerick Branch.