UK Butterflies

Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland

R Resident or Regular Migrant
E Extinct
M Rare Migrant
U Unknown
A Adventive
Q Questionable
UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition
Posted on December 21, 2023

Congratulations to Mark Searle, overall winner in the 2023 UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition! Mark wins a signed copy of British & Irish Butterfly Rarities by Pete Eeles that has been kindly donated by UK Butterflies sponsor, Greenwings. Thanks to all the competitors - click here to see all of the winning entries.

UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition
Posted on August 27, 2023

The UK Butterflies 2023 Photography Competition is now open for entries! In keeping with the online nature of the UK Butterflies website, the competition itself will be conducted entirely over the web. The competition closes on November 30th and the winning photos will be announced in early December. The competition is supported by Greenwings, the UK Butterflies sponsor, and the winner will receive a signed copy of British & Irish Butterfly Rarities by Pete Eeles. Click here for information on how to enter.

A Review of Butterfly Conservation - the Warwickshire Approach
Posted on June 11, 2023

From the publisher: This book documents, celebrates and shares the many successes the Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation has had in conserving our rarer butterflies over the past 25 years. It is a manual of techniques, tips and ideas that will help and hopefully inspire others to create and manage habitats and to conserve butterflies. In addition, the book outlines the fieldcraft that is required to provide the best chance of finding adult butterflies and their immature stages, provides tips on how to identify the difficult species and suggests how to get the maximum enjoyment from your butterfly encounters. Click here to read the review.

A Review of Butterflies of Northern Europe (App)
Posted on March 29, 2023

From the publisher: The app contains detailed descriptions of the 168 butterfly species found in northern Europe, from northern France in the south to Greenland in the north. Written by butterfly experts Lars Andersen and John Vergo, the meticulous content covers everything from a species' appearance to its distribution and habits, illustrated with photos of the male, female, eggs, caterpillars and host plants, together with flight period charts and distribution maps. Click here to read the review by David Moore.

A Review of Butterfly Safari
Posted on February 15, 2023

From the publisher: A pictorial celebration of UK butterflies, this new title showcases moments rarely captured with such craft. Alongside his detailed photography, Andrew Fusek Peters describes the natural traits and challenges of each species he encounters, covered in dedicated chapters and ordered chronologically through the course of the year. Click here to read the review.

UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition
Posted on December 6, 2022

Congratulations to Dave Miller, overall winner in the 2022 UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition! With an incredible shot of a pair of Brimstones, Dave wins a copy of Discovering Scotland's Butterflies by Paul Kirkland. Thanks to all the competitors - click here to see all of the winning entries.

A Review of The Spider-Winged Cupid and the Platypus
Posted on December 4, 2022

From the publisher: This book develops and extends the author's views about the evolution and defensive aspects of mimicry in butterflies and moths set out in Seeing Butterflies; focusing on some of the most incredible insect mimicry that exists in tropical forests throughout the world. It reveals what no museum collection can tell us about the evolution of mimicry that has produced creatures that can be mistaken by predators for dead leaves, toxic beetles, scorpions, venomous snakes, lizards, frogs, bats, or insect-eating birds. Click here to read the review by Hugh D. Loxdale.

A Review of Vicar of the Amazon
Posted on December 4, 2022

From the publisher: This book chronicles the life of the Reverend Arthur Miles Moss, a little-known genius who explored the Amazon, collecting and breeding butterflies and moths in period from 1903 to 1947 - a period during which little about the Amazon and its natural history became known to the world. Following in the wake of great Victorian naturalists such as Wallace and Bates, Moss' story has been neglected: apart from his publications in scientific journals he left a collection of 25,000 insects, unpublished manuscripts on Amazonian natural history, and some incredibly beautiful water-colours of bizarre-looking caterpillars now archived in the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Click here to read the review by Geoff Bateman.

UK Butterflies Annual Photography Competition
Posted on October 30, 2022

The UK Butterflies 2022 Photography Competition is now open for entries! In keeping with the online nature of the UK Butterflies website, the competition itself will be conducted entirely over the web. The competition closes on November 30th and the winning photos will be announced in early December. Click here for information on how to enter.

A Review of Discovering Scotland's Butterflies
Posted on September 29, 2022

From the publisher: Scotland is an exciting place for butterfly-watching. The rapidly changing distribution of many species creates an enthralling environment for recorders and nature-lovers, while remote glens and islands undoubtedly hold undiscovered rarities. Discovering Scotland's Butterflies is for everyone who gets a buzz from seeing a butterfly, providing details of life cycles, habitats, ecology and distribution of the thirty plus species. Numerous anecdotes illustrate the pleasure to be gained from watching common butterflies or the thrill of discovering scarce ones. Click here to read the review.

A Review of Butterflies of Kent and South East London
Posted on August 27, 2022

From the publisher: Kent has 42 of the 59 butterfly species that are resident in Britain, including rare species such as Heath Fritillary and Duke of Burgundy, both increasing in numbers due to conservation efforts. This book illustrates all the species that occur in the area, plus others that used to be here. Maps show the current distribution and compare historical data where the range has changed. Also, detailed information is provided on places to see these beautiful butterflies. Click here to read the review.

A Review of Garden Insects of Britain
Posted on August 26, 2022

From the publisher: A photographic identification guide to 150 species of garden insect most commonly found in Britain and North-West Europe. Packed with information, written with huge enthusiasm and illustrated with incredible close-up photos, this guide shines a spotlight on the insects in your garden. Click here to read the review.

The Large Blue Effect
Posted on August 25, 2022

If there is a single species that typifies the potential when it comes to reintroductions, then it is surely the Large Blue butterfly. This year has proven to be exceptional, not just in terms of bucking the downward trend seen in many of our butterflies, but the impact that this reintroduction and its site management is having to the benefit of other species. The once-extinct Large Blue butterfly, reintroduced to the UK in 1983, flew in its greatest numbers since records began on the largest number of sites in 2022. Read more here.

All News Items ...

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