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    Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland
    Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland
    Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland
    Ebook395 pages1 hour

    Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland

    By Richard Lewington

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    About this ebook

    Presented in an accessible, easy-to-use format, this is an ideal guide for both beginners and more experienced enthusiasts. It includes more than 600 superb illustrations of all the life stages of each species, together with beautiful artworks of the butterflies in their natural settings and pertinent species information, distribution maps and life history charts. The second edition features a new, illustrated 'at-a-glance' identification guide, updated distribution maps and species accounts, and new spreads and artwork for the Cryptic Wood White and Scarce Tortoiseshell.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateJul 21, 2016
    ISBN9781472938794
    Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland
    Author

    Richard Lewington

    Richard Lewington is an acknowledged leader in the field of insect illustration. His meticulous paintings of wildlife are the mainstay of many of the modern classics of field-guide art, including The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland, Guide to Garden Wildlife and Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Richard has also designed and illustrated wildlife stamps for several countries. In 1999 he was awarded Butterfly Conservation's Marsh Award for the promotion of Lepidoptera conservation, and in 2010 the Zoological Society of London's Stamford Raffles Award for contribution to zoology.

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      Book preview

      Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland - Richard Lewington

      Conservation

      The decline of Britain’s butterflies throughout the last century, and particularly since the Second World War, has been dramatic and a cause for great concern, not only to naturalists but also to many people who can still remember the pleasure of seeing wildflower meadows dancing with butterflies. The all-too-familiar story of habitat destruction, agricultural intensification, pollution and the ever-increasing demands on land, has resulted in all forms of wildlife, not just butterflies, suffering.

      The possible effects of climate change may also influence the future of our butterflies. While slightly higher temperatures may benefit some species, the unpredictability of weather patterns could have a detrimental effect on others, and the outlook for some of our northern species, such as the Mountain Ringlet, is uncertain. Some rare species with specific habitat requirements, such as the Swallowtail, have benefited once conservation organisations have discovered their exact needs and put into effect appropriate management. However, it is worrying that some of the commoner species, such as Wall and Small Copper, have declined for reasons that are unclear. It is, therefore, vital that a greater understanding of our butterflies is reached and the monitoring of their populations continues, so this information can be integrated into management strategies for their habitats.

      Butterfly Conservation is the largest insect conservation charity in Europe, with 25,000 members and many volunteer branches throughout the UK. Its aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats. Through its volunteers and staff, the Society runs conservation programmes, organises national butterfly and moth recording and monitoring schemes and manages 35 nature reserves covering 785 hectares. The Society welcomes all newcomers to butterfly-watching and conservation who wish to participate in any of its activities.

      Further information on how you can become involved and make a real contribution to helping and enjoying butterflies can be obtained from: Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP; tel: 01929 400209.

      e-mail: [email protected]

      website: www.butterfly-conservation.org

      The structure of a butterfly

      Butterflies belong to the order of insects known as Lepidoptera, meaning ‘scale wing’, and it is the overlapping formation of these pigmented and reflective scales that gives butterflies and moths their wonderful variety of colours which make them unique. The two pairs of membranous wings are attached to the thorax and are supported by a network of veins, which are inflated and hardened when the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. The main parts of a butterfly’s wings and body referred to in the species accounts are detailed below.

      Upperside

      Underside

      The life cycle of a butterfly

      A butterfly has four stages in its life cycle. It starts as an egg, which may hatch after a few days or pass the entire winter with the tiny caterpillar formed inside. The caterpillar is the eating and growing stage, and can last from three weeks to more than 20 months in species which hibernate twice; this is the most familiar stage, after the adult. The chrysalis is the stage in which the greatest internal transition takes place, and often in just a few weeks a yellow liquid broth turns into a fully formed butterfly, which breaks out and expands its wings in preparation for a life which may last from just four days to 11 months.

      Life cycle of a Peacock

      The six butterfly families

      Papilionidae – Swallowtails

      The Swallowtail is our only member of this splendid family, which includes some of the largest butterflies in the world.

      Swallowtail

      Hesperiidae – Skippers

      The skippers are often described as ‘moth-like’ owing to their small size, and relatively dull colours. Many skippers are predominantly a shade of orange, and some require close observation to identify correctly. They are easily overlooked but characterful butterflies, with a fast skipping or ‘buzzing’ flight.

      Large Skipper

      Pieridae – Whites and yellows

      The butterflies in this family are mostly quite large, with bright white or yellow wings. It includes the infamous ‘cabbage white’ (this name actually covers two species, the Large White and the Small White). The most familiar yellow ‘white’ is the Brimstone. Most whites have a rather ‘flapping’ flight pattern.

      Orange-tip

      Nymphalidae – Browns, fritillaries, admirals and tortoiseshells

      The browns used to be given a family of their own, but are now considered a subfamily, the Satyrinae. Most are predominately brown, the exception being the Marbled White, which has a unique pattern of black and white. All browns feed on grasses as caterpillars. They are among the most numerous butterflies in a range of habitats.

      None of the fritillaries are common and some are extremely rare. All are predominantly orange, with a network of darker markings forming a chequered pattern from which the name ‘fritillary’ is derived. Fritillaries can be hard to identify and a good view of the underside of the wings is often needed for confirmation.

      The Nymphalidae family also includes some familiar residents such as the Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell, migrants like the Red Admiral and Painted Lady, as well as some of our rarest species. Many are large and colourful, and are strong fliers. The caterpillars of several feed on nettle.

      Small Tortoiseshell

      Riodinidae – Metalmarks

      This family is closely related to the Lycaenidae, with the rare Duke of Burgundy being the only British species. It is a brown and orange butterfly; the name ‘metalmark’ really only applies to the tropical members of this family.

      Duke of Burgundy

      Lycaenidae – Coppers, hairstreaks and blues

      There are two British species of copper: the Small Copper is quite widespread, but the Large Copper is extinct in the UK.

      The hairstreaks are quite small butterflies that spend most of their time in scrub or at the tops of trees, and can be hard to see. They are various colours, mostly dark, except for the brilliant green of the Green Hairstreak. Hairstreaks get their name from a thin white line on the underside of the wings.

      The blues are also fairly small butterflies, usually with blue wings, at least in the males – the situation is complicated by the fact that female ‘blues’ are often more brown than blue, and a few species are not blue at all!

      Adonis Blue

      How to use this guide

      The six butterfly families section provides an introduction to the six resident British butterfly families. The ‘At-a-glance’ section that follows highlights the main points of difference between similar species within each of the families and is intended as a quick reference guide. Identification can then be confirmed by following the link to the appropriate species accounts in the main portion of the book. These are arranged in the latest taxonomic order following A Checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles (2013) by Agassiz, D.J.L. et al. (Royal Entomological Society). Butterflies are depicted in typical, natural postures, as well as formal ‘set’ postures, which show wing shapes and markings to the full and provide an indication of average wingspan.

      The maps show the general distribution of the species in Great Britain and Ireland (plus the Channel Islands). The life cycle charts indicate the usual range of dates for the various stages of the life cycle, but the extreme dates are likely to change with the prevailing weather conditions.

      Plant names follow the New Flora of the British Isles (3rd edition, 2010) by Stace, C. (Cambridge University Press).

      At-a-glance guide

      Papilionidae – Swallowtail

      Swallowtail

      Hesperiidae – Skippers

      Dingy Skipper

      Grizzled Skipper

      Chequered Skipper

      Lulworth Skipper

      Essex SkipperSmall Skipper

      Silver-spotted Skipper

      Large Skipper

      Pieridae – Whites and yellows

      Wood White/Cryptic Wood White

      Orange-tip

      Clouded Yellow

      Brimstone

      Large White

      Small White

      Green-veined White

      Nymphalidae – Browns, fritillaries, admirals and tortoiseshells

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