Butterflies are the equivalent of the 'canary in a coal mine', a measure of the health of the environment. Short and varied life-cycles and specific habitat needs provide a clear indication of the health of the environment.
Our most familiar butterflies such as the Small Tortoiseshell are now becoming increasingly uncommon. Our rarest butterflies like the High Brown Fritillary are at serious risk of extinction as a result of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation and many other species are declining at an alarming rate.
None of this bodes well for other wildlife as butterflies are part of a complex food chain upon which humans ultimately rely for our own survival.
Steven Cheshire
British Butterflies Online Store
A great range of butterfly and wildlife related products, from books and id guides to breeding cages and original art are now available in our online store. Each purchase supports the continued development of this web site as a free resource for all.
Stock photo library
Our online stock photo library is constantly updated with only the highest quality photographs of British Butterflies and their different life stages, food plants and habitats, perfect for a wide range of media publications from print to digital.
British Butterflies on the wing in
May
There are 33 species of butterfly which generally occur in Britain during
May
. Recent mild winters have influenced emergence dates during the following spring and summer resulting in consistently earlier sightings. The result of global warming? You decide.
British Butterflies Species ListDescriptions, photographs, identification tips, distribution maps and much more.
Collecting ButterfliesCan collecting wild butterflies to be pinned for display purposes be a legitimate pastime?
Conservation of Butterflies and MothsWith the loss of wild habitats, the effects of pollution, urban expansion and increasing human population, how can our wildlife survive?
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Rare Butterflies show sign of recovery.
New data shows that some of Britain's
most threatened butterflies showed
encouraging signs of recovery
last year. News
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