While by this time last year there had been a huge influx of Painted Ladies, etc, to the British Isles, so far this year there has been nothing on the same scale. There have however been a few Migrant Lepidoptera in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; I have listed all the 2010 records (of Macrolepidoptera) I am aware of below.
Butterflies
Red Admiral: 1 seen and photographed by Craig Nash on 7th May at Castleward near Strangford, Co. Down (see http://nibirds.blogspot.com/p/
Painted Lady: 1 seen by M. Millar at
Skernaghan
Point on Islandmagee peninsula near Larne, Co. Antrim, on 22nd May and 1
seen by
David McCormick flying very fast across Strangford Lough close to
Mountstewart
Estate near Newtownards, Co. Down (J549695), on 26th May (see "Butterfly
Sightings" at http://www.bcni.org.uk/Main.
Moths
Silver Y: 1 took 1 in a light trap at
Clare Glen
near Tandragee, Co. Armagh, on 23rd/24th May, and on 30th May saw single
specimens on the coast of Co. Down at Sheepland near Ardglass and
Murlough NNR
near Dundrum.
Thanks to Ian Rippey for this update
