Where have all the butterflies gone?
Take part in the Big Butterfly Count 2024 and use code 'ButterflyCount' at checkout to have £5 discount and FREE DELIVERY on Butterfly Safari by Andrew Fusek Peters.
Where are all the butterflies?
The recent spell of warm weather has encouraged many of us to spend more time in our green spaces. From sunbathing in the garden to gentle outdoor strolls, one can't help but appreciate the wonder of nature around us. Though, you may have noticed an absence of butterflies in our gardens and green spaces this summer. In fact, you may even be wondering, 'Where have all the butterflies gone?'
Patrick Barkham, natural history writer for The Guardian, has asked the same question. He writes, "this is a bad dream where I’m hosting a party and no guests have turned up: most flowers are bereft not only of butterflies but bees, hoverflies, beetles and other once-frequent flyers." Patrick Barkham, The Guardian July 2024
Butterfly Conservation has revealed that those taking part in the Big Butterly Count this year have seen much fewer numbers of butterflies this year. They write, "on average, participants are seeing just over half the number of butterflies they were spotting this time last year." Butterfly Conservation, July 2024
Andrew Fusek Peters, author of Butterfly Safari, says, 'Where have all the butterflies gone? We often talk of butterflies having good years and bad years and a very wet and sunless period is often precursor to a poor butterfly season. But this year, something feels different. Apart from the odd White and very occasional peacock, our buddleia and verbena bonariensis is bereft of butterflies this year. If I had been trying to gather pictures for my book Butterfly Safari in 2024, the book would not have been completed. Please join in with the Butterfly Count as we need to understand what is going on in these worrying times.'
Images left to right: Andrew Fusek Peters, Butterfly Safari, Male Orange-tip flying from forget-me-not, south Shropshire © Andrew Fusek Peters, Butterfly Safari
Butterfly Safari by Andrew Fusek Peters
Andrew Fusek Peters has spent five years travelling round the UK to celebrate British butterflies. In Butterfly Safari, he shows butterflies in a new light, capturing close-ups of wing scales and the delicate structure of eggs, eyes and antennae. He has also pioneered never before-seen flight shots and astonishing aerial sequences. Many of these photos have already appeared in the national papers and magazines.
Andrew writes, "beauty in itself is not enough, as many of our UK butterflies are in trouble. However, there is a rising band of conservationists who use science and sheer hard and mostly voluntary work to study habitat and restore intimate landscapes to suit the particular requirements of individual species." Andrew Fusek Peters, Butterfly Safari.
Iolo Williams, Welsh ornithologist, writes, "with so many of our butterflies in decline, this is a very timely book by one of the country's best photographers. It's a must-have for the bookshelves!' Iolo Williams
The Big Butterfly Count
The Big Butterfly count takes place from July 12th to August 4th 2024. To take part, all you need is a spare 15 minutes in an outdoor space. Download the Big Butterfly Count ID guide, using Butterfly Conservation's app https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/, grab a pen and paper, and write down what you see!
You can share your Butterfly Count on social media by using the hashtag #BigButterflyCount and tagging @savebutterflies.
Use code 'ButterflyCount' at checkout to receive a £5 discount and free delivery on Butterfly Safari.
Images left to right: Swallowtail in flight, the Doctor’s Garden, Large Blue flight sequence, Pearl-bordered Fritillary nectaring on bluebells,Wyre Forest, Worcestershire, .