Blog

Whilst most insects are slumbering at this time of year, some cold-loving creatures are just emerging. Amongst them are the aptly named Winter Moth and December Moth. Discover how these moths are adapted to deal with the winter weather.

At this time of year, many of our insects have disappeared from view. So, what do our scientists get up to whilst most of the UK’s butterflies and moths are sleeping?

Winter is almost upon us, and that means it’s time for most of our insects to hunker down until the spring. While the majority of the UK’s butterflies will spend the winter as caterpillars, chrysalises or even eggs, there are a few species of butterfly that can overwinter as adults. We explore some of the strategies for winging it through the winter.

Butterfly Conservation’s CEO, Julie Williams, shares her thoughts from the annual AGM and Members’ Morning.

The birds are singing, the sun is out, and you’ve just spotted a caterpillar on a leaf, vibrant green and speckled with black. Beautiful, you think. That is, until you take a closer look…

Graveyards might not be at the top of your list when it comes to a bit of butterfly-spotting, but cemeteries are often hidden havens for wildlife, especially in increasingly busy urban areas.

At Butterfly Conservation, data is at the heart of the conservation decisions we make to protect butterflies and moths, and we believe good data is key to their future survival. That’s why we recently made over 46 million records of UK butterflies and moths publicly available online on the National Biodiversity Network’s data portal – the NBN Atlas.

Research by Butterfly Conservation is shedding new light on the elusive and secretive hairstreak butterflies.

The iconic Australian Bogong moth is unique for its remarkable long-distance migration. Professor Eric Warrant explores this feat of navigation.

Writer and gardener Arthur Parkinson shares his top tips on planting a garden that will attract butterflies.

Creating habitats for butterflies and other pollinators can have a positive impact for people as well as nature

Citizen science, also known as community science, is a partnership approach that involves volunteers in scientific data gathering and research. 
 

"Mull is majestic, magnificent. Coll is captivating. But Tiree truly takes your breath away." Follow Butterfly Conservation Trustee Simon Saville on week 2 of his 700 mile bike ride from Glasgow to Inverness to raise funds to help protect endangered butterflies and moths.

The Secret Gardener explores how you can find out more about the species in and around your garden, and create a Wild Space that provides something for all stages of their life-cycle.

Follow Butterfly Conservation Trustee Simon Saville on the first 7 days of his gruelling 700 mile bike ride from Glasgow to Inverness to raise funds to help protect endangered butterflies and moths.

This year’s theme of Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘anxiety’. While this is an emotion many of us have temporarily experienced, for some, it can become a mental health issue that can affect our day-to-day lives.

Optometrist and Butterfly Conservation member Simon Berry explains his remarkable research into how nocturnal insects’ eyes adapt

A wildlife photographer shares his journey to having a more mindful experience when photographing butterflies

To celebrate Hedgehog Awareness Week, Dr Richard Fox takes a closer look at a hedgehog's diet and what part butterflies and moths have to play in it.

The secret gardener shares tips on how to create a more sustainable garden. 

If you were to close your eyes and think of the word ‘pollinators’ a certain black and yellow insect might pop into your mind. But in terms of the most efficient pollinators, new research has revealed findings that will make us think again.

Anthony McCluskey, Wild Spaces Project Officer, shares tips on creating an edible garden  to create food for butterflies and moths while feeding yourselves too. 

The reintroduced Large Blue was one of the stars of Wild Isles last night, but do you know what reintroductions are and what they involve for butterflies and moths?
 

The People's Plan for Nature launched today. Butterfly Conservation CEO, Julie Williams, looks at why it is so important that we come together to take the action needed to protect and renew nature.

Following the majestic displays of the Purple Emperor on BBC's Wild Isles last night, we take a closer look at how woodlands are critical for some of our butterfly and moth species, and what we need to do to protect them.

At Butterfly Conservation, we’re immensely proud of the women in our teams, from Conservation to Human Resources. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’ve asked some of our staff to share their thoughts on International Women’s Day and what it means to them, or on the thing they are most proud of. 

Appreciating the close relationship between butterflies and moths and their foodplants is the key to helping create a space where they can feed, breed and shelter.

Looking at new ways of engaging with people to create a more inclusive and accessible future is key to developing conservation support, says Anthony McCluskey.

It’s no secret that many LGBTQ+ Scientists have contributed to conservation efforts around the world and made a significant difference to how we understand our environment.  LGBTQ+ History Month is always a time to celebrate and spotlight those in the queer community that have made a difference, and to bring attention to their stories and achievements.

Butterfly Conservation have led a research project investigating the biodiversity of a conifer plantation that is managed using Irregular forestry (a type of continuous cover forestry). Patrick Cook, Ecologist at Butterfly Conservation, explores the results of the research.