Butterflies are nature’s Angels, beautiful creatures that begin life as caterpillars, then go through one of the most interesting life cycles of any creature. If not eaten by birds, the caterpillars transform into a chrysalis, before flying off as beautiful butterflies, where they only live a few weeks – feeding on pollen and resting in sunny sheltered spots. Although they look coloured, in fact they have translucent bodies (the ‘white lines’ are their skeletons). And they taste with their feet!
Most older adults remember growing up seeing butterflies everywhere. But lack of habitat and the use of garden pesticides, means that most butterflies are severely endangered. The best way to help our 59 butterflies (including 2 migrants) is to plant more wildflower meadows and butterfly-friendly flowers.
Can a butterfly flapping its wings, cause a hurricane the other side of the world? You’ve likely heard this ‘chaos theory’, but in fact it’s not true. First mentioned by mathematician Edward Lorenz, it’s based on what John Muir once wrote that ‘If you tug on one single thing in nature, you’ll find it attached to everything else’. However, the flutter of a butterfly’s wing is so small that it’s unlikely to affect the air pressure much, although it could affect local weather.
Just as beautiful as butterflies are moths. Latin for ‘scaly-winged’, these are just as important to the ecosystem, and can also be just as beautiful. Not all are nocturnal, and only a few species eat clothes! To naturally deter moths, wear plant-based fibres like organic cotton or hemp (they eat animal fibres like wood), and regularly vacuum and spring-clean. No chemical moth balls needed.
how to help save our butterflies
- Choose pollen-rich flowers, water to prolong their life and dead-head regularly. Buddleia (the ‘butterfly bush’) is a popular choice, as is lavender. If you live with animals, see make your garden safe for pets as some butterfly-friendly flowers (like wallflowers or the herb marjoram) are toxic. If you have one, let your lawn go organic.
- As mentioned above, be careful with ‘plantable cards’, as many contain wildflowers that are toxic to pets. Great for pet-free households, but don’t buy (or send) them to people who live with furry friends.
- Just as with bees, it’s far better to plant flowers than order wildlife houses, as most can get cause creatures to get covered in mites, and do more harm than good. Far better is to offer sheltered shady areas for resting, and log piles for hibernating. Leave your garden a little untidy! Modern ‘TV gardens’ with lots of paving, landscaping and metal spheres may look fashionable, but leave no natural homes for garden wildlife.
- If you find a butterfly somewhere unsafe (like on the road), just pop it in the nearest pollen-rich sheltered flower (same with bees), so it can safely re-fuel. Butterflies only live a few weeks, so don’t be surprised to find dead butterflies on your nature walks.
- Never buy caterpillars or butterflies, to release for weddings etc. Caterpillars can die in the post, and butterflies released at weddings will die, as soon as they hit the cool air. Also don’t encourage children to catch butterflies in nets, as they will be stressed.
books for butterflies
- Wild Your Garden is by Jim and Joel Ashton (aka ‘the Butterfly Brothers’) to teach you how to re-wild your space, to share with nature. Help boost local biodiversity by transforming paved areas into a lush oasis, create refuges to welcome and support native species and turn a high-maintenance lawn (or area of lawn) into a nectar-rich mini meadow.
- Butterflies: A Natural History is a unique take on butterfly behaviour and ecology, by the former Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation. Martin Warren explores the secret lives of British species, comparing them to butterflies in continental Europe, revealing how they have adapted to survive, in the natural world. Covering the lifecycle from egg to adult to their struggle for survival (and the miracle of migration), the book is also a passionate plea for why we must act now to reverse the decline.
- The Disappearance of Butterflies looks at why butterfly populations have declined over 80% in the last 50 years or so, and are facing extinction. Entomologist Josef H Reichholf began studying butterflies in the late 50s and brings his expertise on one of the biggest environmental catastrophes of our time. He explains the science behind impending ecological disaster, and how it is linked to modern farming practices and agribusiness.
- Butterflies of Britain & Europe is a beautiful photographic guide to all 472 species with additional information on another 64 species found in North Africa and Turkey. With views of both upperwing and underwing, there is also useful information on relative size, similar species, habitat, lifestyle and larval host plants, plus accurate range maps. The book is a result of collaboration between many European butterfly experts and photographers.
- A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies is a beautiful photographic manual of all 59 species of British butterflies, each with a couple of stunning photos, interesting facts and a poem. Jonathan Bradley and his photographer friend Yealand Kalfayan include mini biographies of several famous lepidopterists (butterfly experts) who have left their mark in this radiant world.
- The Little Book of Butterflies is part of My Little Library of Natural History, where children can learn about these mysterious, miraculous and utterly beautiful creatures. Butterflies transform. They camouflage. They pollinate. And they are stunning. In this book, learn interesting details about each butterfly’s region, behaviour, camouflage and amazing transformation, from caterpilar to winged beauty. Gorgeous vintage illustrations by some of the world’s best nature illustrators accompany each entry, along with charts, maps and other illuminating graphics.
Butterflies remind us what a gift it is, to be alive. Robyn Nola
Butterflies are self-propelled flowers. R H Heinlein
moths are just as beautiful!
Much Ado About Mothing is a book about a year-long quest to see Britain’s rarest and remarkable moths. Just as beautiful and fascinating as butterflies, moths are everywhere and their capacity to delight will astound, once you get to know them. Inspired by an encounter with a Popular Hawk moth (a huge, velvet-winged wonder wrapped in silver), James decides to hike up mountains, wade through marshes and roam ancient woodlands to find moths galore.
He explores landscapes to reveal moths that are attractive, astonishing and much-maligned creatures that are capable of migratory feats and camouflage mastery. They also have much to tell us, on the state of our wild and not-so-wild habitats.
From Cornwall to the Cairngorms, James and his young daughter also track the seasons through a kaleidoscope of moth species living innocently in their suburban garden. Without even leaving home, they bond over a shared joy in the uncommon beauty of common creatures. Moths may be everywhere – but above all, they are here. Quite unexpectedly, no animals may be better placed, to inspire environmentalists of the future.
