Welcome
To see this page in Welsh click yn y Gymraeg
The beautiful, varied landscapes of Wales are home to 44 species of butterfly and over 1,850 different moths. Most of these are declining in numbers and range due to climate warming and the way the land is managed. The changes are complex and some moth species have recently been seen in Wales for the first time. Please scroll down to find out how you can help by volunteering.
Find out more: Click to read about the state of our moths and butterflies , and about moths in Wales. Explore the links below to leaflets and reports on threatened species in Wales and how you can help. Follow links to our local Branches, where our Members get together.
Wales News
July 2022: Welsh Clearwing Species Champion. A great site visit to Lake Vyrnwy on Friday 15th as part of Wales Environment Link's Species Champions Project. Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru MS for Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Species Champion for the Welsh Clearwing, Cliradain-gymraeg, joined BC Wales' Senior Conservation Officer Clare Williams and RSPB staff at Lake Vyrnwy to look for this beautiful and elusive creature and discuss actions required to ensure its future survival. No adult moths seen but lots of emergence holes and pupal cases visible indicating its continued presence at this wonderful site.
June 2022: Please help us track down the Forester moth in Wales!
Have you seen this iridescent day-flying moth? The Forester (perhaps misnamed as it's found in grasslands too) is one of our priority species and we need to know more about where in Wales they are seen each year.
Please let us know if you've seen any - especially if you walk a Transect and see any there.
Find out more on our Volunteering in Wales page. Thanks!
May 2022: Natur am Byth! project saving the High Brown Fritillary in the Vale of Glamorgan in full swing. The staff team, Dot and Richard, are making great progress: working on habitat management, collaborating with the Commoners and involving the local community, especially the children through the schools. Thanks to the Lottery Heritage Fund, Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh Government for funding. Find out more here
Could you help?
Please click Volunteering Opportunities to find out how. We need your help now in Wales.
Volunteers are invaluable in helping us to manage habitats, keep track of threatened species, spreading our message via social media and many other tasks. Please use the Wales Office Contact form below if you have any questions.
Our Current Work Priorities
Our small staff team and committed volunteers focus on work with the most threatened species as set out in the Wales Conservation Strategy
Our highest priority species in Wales are: High Brown Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary Grizzled Skipper, Drab Looper, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, White-spotted Sable Moth, Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, Argent & Sable, Caryocolum blandulella, Coleophora serpylletorum, Chestnut-coloured Carpet, and Portland Moth .
As a member of Wales Environment Link, an active network of environmental Non-Governmental Organisations in Wales, we have a valuable link to working with the Welsh Government.
Species to look out for
Join us: Local Branches
Join Butterfly Conservation: members in Wales become part of either North Wales Branch or South Wales Branch, where you'll meet like-minded people. Members share their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm and run conservation workparties, surveys, walks and talks.
Other local groups (non BC):
Brecknock Moth Group,
Ceredigion Moths, Glamorgan Moth Group, Montgomeryshire Moths, North Wales Lepidoptera, Radnor Moths, Carmarthenshire Moth and Butterfly Group Monmouthshire Moth and Butterfly Group
Publications
Wales News Updates - the latest lepidoptera-related news from Wales
Wales Leaflets on butterflies and moths both in your garden and the threatened species and habitats in the wider landscapes of Wales
Newsletters: 'Wales News' on our work here and 'Frits About' on sightings of Fritillary butterflies
Introduction to recording butterflies and moths in Wales
Wales Reports: in-depth science reports on threatened species
News
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Black-veined White butterfly spotted in UK
Butterfly Conservation has received lots of fantastic messages from people who are seeing the extinct Black-veined White butterfly in south-east London.
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Species on the Edge launches with the Small Blues at Logie Quarry
A new and exciting conservation project called Species on the Edge will launch at a free family fun day event hosted by Butterfly Conservation Scotland at Logie Quarry, near Tain, on Saturday 3 June.
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Butterflies find safe haven in UK gardens, new research reveals
New research published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveals how the UK's gardens are acting as a safe haven for butterflies.
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Europe's grassland butterflies in steep decline
A new report on the trends of grassland butterflies across Europe has shown numbers have declined by 36% over the last decade.
In your area
Contact office
Office address
Butterfly Conservation Wales
c/o National Botanic Garden of Wales (Wallace Room),
Llanarthne,
Carmarthenshire
SA32 8HG