I never expected a later-life love affair. But a few years ago, I was commissioned to write a book on garden insects and the earth…
View More ‘A glittering new world of intrigue’: the rich stories Britain’s insects have to tellTag: Butterflies
A very British butterfly: spectacular swallowtail is built for capricious summers
The swallowtail is Britain’s largest and most spectacular butterfly. Most British butterflies are adapted to surviving gruelling, cold, wet, capricious summers, which is why many…
View More A very British butterfly: spectacular swallowtail is built for capricious summersIllegal reintroductions of rare butterflies to UK ‘a risk to other species’
“Ridiculous” illegal reintroductions of rare or extinct butterflies to new sites in Britain risk introducing disease, damage attempts to save species and jeopardise well-planned releases,…
View More Illegal reintroductions of rare butterflies to UK ‘a risk to other species’‘Rimmed with fire’: rare butterfly genus named after Sauron in Lord of the Rings
Researchers have uncovered a new genus of butterfly, with distinctive orange wings and dark eyespots. It is a striking appearance that has led the international…
View More ‘Rimmed with fire’: rare butterfly genus named after Sauron in Lord of the RingsEU environmental watchdog criticises calls to stall pesticides cut
The EU’s environmental watchdog has hit back at calls to stall a 50% cut in the use and risks of synthetic pesticides and a 20%…
View More EU environmental watchdog criticises calls to stall pesticides cutNumber of butterflies in UK falls to lowest since surveys began
Despite a summer of glorious sunshine, fewer butterflies than ever were recorded in the world’s largest citizen science insect count. On average, fewer than nine…
View More Number of butterflies in UK falls to lowest since surveys beganLarge blue butterfly numbers soar in Britain
The large blue butterfly has enjoyed its best summer for 150 years in Britain thanks to targeted restoration work, which is also benefiting other rare…
View More Large blue butterfly numbers soar in BritainBritain’s largest butterfly at risk as fungal pathogens kill food source
Britain’s largest butterfly may be at risk from fungal pathogens that have caused a drastic die-back of the rare plant on which its caterpillars feed.…
View More Britain’s largest butterfly at risk as fungal pathogens kill food sourceBritain’s butterflies bolstered by conservation efforts
Some of the UK’s most threatened butterflies weathered a poor year in 2021 thanks to conservation efforts, annual survey results have shown. The woodland-loving heath…
View More Britain’s butterflies bolstered by conservation effortsWent to mow … but stopped: how UK cities embraced the meadows revolution
A patch of purple wildflowers springs out of Peckham Rye like a bruise. Elsewhere, strips of long grass quiver in the wind, breaking up the…
View More Went to mow … but stopped: how UK cities embraced the meadows revolution