Emley, DW and Warren, RG (2000) The Larger Moths of Staffordshire. Staffordshire Ecological Record Publication No. 16. ISBN 1-874414-20-3.

This has distribution data and maps for all the macros recorded up to 2000. It is available from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wolseley Bridge.

Provisional Atlas of the UK's Larger Moths

The first national distribution maps for 30 years have been produced by the Moths Count project.

Available from Butterfly Conservation.

Waring, P and Townsend, M. (2003). Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing. ISBN 0-9531399-1-3

The main identification guide to macro moths and the first to illustrate them in their natural resting positions.

Manley, C. British Moths and Butterflies - A photographic guide. A & C Black, London.
ISBN 978-0-7136-8636-4

All the macros and 300 micros, butterflies and many larvae illustrated with excellent colour photographs. A good companion to Waring and Townsend's book.

Skinner, B. (1984). Colour Identification guide to moths of the British Isles. Viking. ISBN 0-670-80354-5

Contains photographs of set specimens of all the macro moths. Beginners might find this difficult to use with live specimens but it was the "bible" until Waring came out.

Heath, J. Ed. The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. 10vol. Harley Books.

The ultimate reference work but 3 volumes are yet to appear. So far, most of the micros are covered except the pyralids, plume moths and tortix moths. All species are illustrated as set specimens.

Goater, B. (1986). British Pyralid Moths. Harley Books. ISBN 0-946589-08-9

Illustrates all the pyralid moths as set specimens and as such is a companion to Skinner.

Riley, M and Prior, P. (2003). British and Irish Pug Moths – a guide to their identification and biology. Harley Books. ISBN 0-946589-51-8

Of the macros, the pugs cause more headaches than most other species when it comes to identification. This volume illustrates them all as both set specimens and as live insects at rest. The species are grouped by common features and line drawings highlight differences in wing markings.

Clifton, J. and Wheeler, J. (2010) Bird-dropping Tortrix Moths of the British Isles.  A Field Guide to the Bird-dropping Mimics. ISBN 978-0-9568352-0-8. Anglian Lepidopterist Supplies.

This guide shows classic examples of bird-dropping mimics, such as the Apotomis, Hedya and Epinotia and some of the cryptic black and white cochylids. The moths are shown in their resting position, alongside a set specimen, with a brief account giving distinguishing features and use of coloured pointers to highlight the critical areas in a user friendly way. Maps show Vice-county distribution across the British Isles, alongside seasonal flight graphs and life size representations of each species, to aid identification.

Porter, J. (1997). The colour identification guide to caterpillars of the British Isles. Viking. ISBN 0-670-87509-0. See Amazon.

Illustrates for the first time the caterpillars of all the macros and the butterflies using photographs.