News Items

Congratulations to Nigel Kiteley and Iain Cowe, who took the first 3 places between them in the 2016 UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition! With a superb photo of a mating pair of Esper's Marbled Whites, Nigel wins a copy of The Video Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Ireland (DVD) which has been kindly donated by NatureGuides. Click here to see all of the winning entries.

From the publisher: This guide presents in condensed form 1,750 identification criteria for Swiss butterflies (rhopalocera and red burnet moths), in an ideal format for taking into the field. Richly illustrated and written in such a way as to be accessible to a broad public, it allows anyone interested in butterflies to identify quickly and relatively easily any of the 216 species of present in Switzerland. The book comprises two distinct parts: an intuitive and easy-to-use identification key (aimed mainly at beginners) and plates illustrating the diagnostic characters of each species. Click here to read the review.

From the publisher: Following on from his previous book, "Butterflies of the World", Adrian Hoskins' new book showcases over 1000 species of the world's most beautiful and diverse butterflies. Including monarchs, birdwings, swordtails, morphos, glasswings and many more, 1000 Butterflies includes photographs of wild butterflies in their natural surroundings, accompanied by useful text on identification, interesting features and geographic distribution. Click here to read the review by Guy Padfield.

UK Butterflies founder, Pete Eeles, was presented with the Marsh Award for the Promotion of Lepidoptera Conservation at Butterfly Conservation's AGM and Members' Day in Nottingham. Peter was recognised for developing the UK Butterflies website and its associated community, for his contribution to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight branch of Butterfly Conservation and for creating Butterfly Conservation's Garden Butterfly Survey website.

As part of a broader study into the life cycle of the White Admiral butterfly, the author has examined the habits of the overwintering larva. In this article he presents four different types of hibernacula that he has encountered so that it may help those looking to monitor them over the winter months. Click here to read the article.

2017 will see the launch of UK Butterflies TV! Presented by Dr. Dan Danahar, this new initiative will highlight each of the species in the British Isles and contain interviews with experts and enthusiasts alike. If you have a particular story to tell regarding any of our species, and are willing to participate, then do contact Dan Danahar or Pete Eeles with details. This video of Dan and Pete discussing this initiative provides some context and we look forward to hearing from you.

Of all of the butterflies found in the British Isles, the complete life cycle of the Chequered Skipper is one of the most rarely observed. In this article, Pete Eeles summarises his observations over a three year period, from 2014 to 2016. Click here to read the article.

A new issue of Notes and Views provides a summary of interesting items posted on UK Butterflies and other media between 1st May and 31st August 2016.

From the publisher: The author and his young daughter, who set off on a holiday in West Wales to observe whales and dolphins, stumble across the delights of Britain's native butterflies. Inspired, they start a quest to photograph all of the 58 breeding butterfly species in the UK, leading to an adventure that lasts five summers. Click here to read the review.

From the publisher: In this first ever book on the butterflies of the West Midlands detailed accounts of all 41 species regularly recorded in Birmingham & the Black Country, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire are included, with distribution maps, 25 butterfly walks, gardening tips and a section on how to photograph butterflies. Distribution maps show where each butterfly may be seen, and there is helpful information on suitable habitat and when to look for each species. Additional chapters on butterfly walks, how to photograph butterflies and tips on suitable plants to attract them to your garden are included. All proceeds from the sale of this book will help conserve butterflies and moths in the West Midlands. Click here to read the review.

Have you seen a "Golden Brown Double Streak" recently? A history of butterfly names is now available here, where a chronology of vernacular names attributed to each species is shown.

A new issue of Notes and Views provides a summary of interesting items posted on UK Butterflies and other media between 1st January and 30th April 2016. The brevity of this particular issue is an indicator of the slow start to the season.

A new issue of Notes and Views provides a summary of interesting items posted on UK Butterflies and other media between 1st September and 31st December 2015. This includes a 2013 record of Scarce Tortoiseshell and a 2015 record of an aberrant Long-tailed Blue.

Swiss Butterflies Site Guide is the most recent work from Jason Sargerson. From the publisher: "This is a pioneering, original, site guide to Swiss Butterflies. Easily accessible butterfly sites across Switzerland are described. The full range of habitat is visited including Woodland, Wetland, Rocky Steppe, Mountain and High Mountain. Nectar plants are identified where possible. Butterfly subspecies found in specific locations are highlighted. Locations for species not covered in the main sites, are indicated in additional sites to visit. Each page has a unique selection of photographs. All photographs are identified with the butterfly, date and place. Photograph locations are given according to the River Valley and Canton". Click here to read the review, by Guy Padfield.

Congratulations to Mark Colvin, winner of the 2015 UK Butterflies Outstanding Contribution Award. Mark has been instrumental in getting the Dispar website (UK Butterflies' publishing arm) up and running, contributes his images to the stock library, and has taken on the unenvious task of bringing together almost 3,000 known aberrations descriptions from various sources and making them available on UK Butterflies.

UK Butterflies is pleased to announce a donation of £1800 to Butterfly Conservation. The donation comes from sales of calendars, cards and photos - once again organised by Gary and Lisa Richardson without whom this annual donation would simply not be possible, and one of the reasons for them winning the very first UK Butterflies Outstanding Contribution Award back in 2010.

This new article by Martin White explores the most likely ecological reasons for the extinction of the Mazarine Blue in Great Britain using, as its principal model, the butterfly's last known breeding colony in England. This research solidly complements the work of Cizek et al. (2012), arriving at exactly the same conclusion from an entirely different angle.

UKB has a new look, designed to make the website feel less cluttered, more appealing and, most importantly, easier to maintain. All of the recent updates that were previously shown on the home page can now be found on the Latest Updates page, which is found under the Home menu. Click here to see a more detailed description of changes made.