According to Royal Mail
"There are over 2,500 moth species recorded in the United Kingdom, compared with around 80 butterflies, and they exhibit astonishing diversity, which is largely hidden to us humans because moths are mostly nocturnal.
Yet many moths do fly by day and are as beautiful as butterflies, including the emperor moth and the hedge beauty moth. Bizarrely, the female of the lesser bagworm moth does not have wings, legs or scales, the very things that define moths and butterflies as Lepidoptera, the scale-winged insects.
The number of species in the UK is rising as our warming climate encourages moths to move north from Europe, and as the warmth is allowing once rare southern species, such as the dark crimson underwing moth, to become much more widespread.
Moths have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (cocoon), and adult – which are typically, though not always, winged (like butterflies). During the caterpillar stage, they consume food, grow, and later undergo metamorphosis to emerge as adult moths.
Moths have a bad reputation as clothes-munchers, yet only two species in the UK eat wool and feathers. Caterpillars of others eat a remarkable range of food, including leaves, fruits, living and dead wood and even fungi.
The complete set of ten Moths stamps showcase beautiful illustrations by renowned wildlife artist Richard Lewington, bringing each moth species to life with exceptional detail and scientific accuracy.
This set is a vibrant celebration of British biodiversity, capturing moths in their natural settings and will appeal to nature enthusiasts and philatelists alike.
The stamps
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| Set of 5 x 2nd class and 5 x 1st class stamps showing moths, issued 9 July 2026 |
2nd class: Emperor Moth Saturnia pavonia, Puss Moth Cerura vinula, Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth Hemaris fuciformis, Dark Bordered Beauty Moth Epione vespertaria, December Moth Poecilocampa populi;
1st class: Dark Crimson Underwing Moth Catocala sponsa, Scarce Crimson and Gold Moth Pyrausta sanguinalis, Swallow-tailed Moth Ourapteryx sambucaria, Hedge Beauty Moth Alabonia geoffrella, Buff-tip Moth Phalera bucephala.
Technical details
The 37 x 35 mm stamps, designed by Frontmedia Studio using artwork by Richard Lewington, have been printed in litho on ordinary gummed paper by Cartor Security Printers in two sheets of 50 , se-tenant strips of 5.
Products available
Set of 10 stamps, first day cover, presentation pack, stamp cards - no collector sheet or framed products!
For more information on the United Kingdom's butterflies and moths visit Butterfly Conservation.
These are rather beautiful, and good to see another issue with 2nd Class values. I'll certainly be using them
ReplyDeleteThis is the seventh set out of nine issues so far in 2026 that gets the thumbs up from me. And this after those awful Stranger Things stamps at the start of the year set a new low benchmark.
ReplyDeleteStamps have to appeal to all tastes and perhaps working with Netflix and producing the Stranger Things series would be a good opportunity to get younger people onto philately. We can't have everything collectors want.
DeleteThat presupposes that younger people (I presume under 30) will know what stamps are for, will hear about them, and will know where to get them.
DeleteI'm afraid getting 'younger people' in the UK, especially under 20, interested in stamps is very hard work, and expensive new issues from Royal Mail won't achieve it in my view.
Agree with other commenters, a really lovely set and a big thumbs up for the artwork!
ReplyDeleteI agree that these are a smart set of stamps and that younger folk are less wont to use stamps. But Royal Mail is missing out because post offices no longer promote special stamps.In east London last year I was told firmly that the letter I had to send to Sweden could not be sent with stamps as they did not stock them and I should have to buy a Horizon label instead. This week I sought some Waterfalls stamps in north Kent and the clerk tried to give me the Moths ones instead. At another PO in mid Kent yesterday they looked puzzled when I asked for them but; as it was not busy; two of the clerks sought the waterfall 2nds in the strong room and finally came out with a virgin sheet of them - I am sure that none had been sold until I turned up. All they need do is what they did until a couple of years ago and put a poster in the window of post offices saying these commemoratives will be for sale on the date with a picture of what they look like and sales would be much greater as people saw them and bought them to send greetings cards and so forth. Otherwise only the Xmas stamps will ever be seen on post.
DeleteLars, but they get a pittance for selling stamps and, even if someone did notice a poster in the window, it'd be more trouble than it was worth.
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