Blog

This month our Secret Gardener has heard from a volunteer who's been making her village in the Scottish Highlands a haven for butterflies and creating lots of Pitstops for Pollinators.

A major new study of hundreds of different sites has revealed the types of habitats where pollinating bees, hoverflies and butterflies are most abundant.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Butterfly Conservation remains active overseas to help butterflies and moths.

The 'Be More Brimstone' article featured in the latest Butterfly magazine received some moving feedback, which we publish with the permission of the author in the hope that it will help others.

Butterflies are declining more rapidly in urban areas than in the countryside. One way we can support our local pollinators – whether rural or urban – is by sowing wildflower seeds.

Don’t just plant to look pretty, plant with purpose! We want as many people as possible to turn their green space into a habitat that will help butterflies thrive. But we’re also aware that a lot of first-time gardeners don’t always know where to start. We can help.

Kate Bradbury is a gardening expert and has authored a number of books including The Wildlife Gardener, as well as appearing on the BBC’s Springwatch. Here, in an article written for Butterfly in Spring 2020, Kate gives her tips for creating a wildlife garden of your own.

Research on the Swallowtail and its host plant reveals some of the challenges the species is facing and how we can try to help it.

Butterflies and moths need us to approach habitat management and restoration at a landscape scale if we want to help them survive, Dr Dan Hoare explains.

Butterfly Conservation CEO, Julie Williams, explains why grasslands can be used for the benefit of plants, people, and the planet.

Eco-anxiety is not a disorder, it is entirely rational, says biologist and nature writer Dr Amy-Jane Beer. We don’t need therapy so much as coping strategies, because we can’t afford to be disabled by it.

The Secret Gardener explains how, during worrying times, we can find hope in nature and that we all have the power to help make a positive difference to our wildlife.

Peter Marren traces the evolution of mothing from its early experimental days to today's advanced techniques.

Neonicotinoid pesticides are in the news again. The evidence of the harm these pesticides do to pollinators and other wildlife is well known.

Protecting and restoring our grasslands is key to unlocking the power of nature to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Following the news of the successful reintroduction of the Chequered Skipper butterfly to England, Senior Conservation Officer for Scotland, Tom Prescott, looks at how the Chequered Skipper is faring in Scotland.

2021 was one of the seven warmest years on record. With temperatures rising, Professor Jane K Hill looks at how climate change is affecting Britain's butterflies.

Butterfly Conservation CEO, Julie Williams, shares her thoughts on how, with increasing evidence of the damage climate change is doing to our environment, the time to take action is now.

Ensuring garden birds have everything they need to raise their chicks in your garden means providing habitat for moths.

Whether you have a single decaying log or a stately stack of sticks, having fallen wood in your garden is a vital resource for insects.

While you eagerly await your first glimpse of a butterfly in 2022, why not enjoy other wildlife and take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

With hundreds of caterpillars and pupae tucked away in our gardens over the harsh winter months, sometimes the best thing we can do for nature is nothing! Here the Secret Gardener explains why leaving leaves and not cutting back hedges is the best thing to do for butterflies and moths in the winter.

November is still a good time to plant bulbs that will flower in spring and summer of the following year, and if you're planning to establish a mini-meadow in your garden, now is the time to get started.

When gardening in autumn and winter, I am always mindful that there are likely to be dozens of butterfly and moth species around me that I simply can't see because they are spending the winter extremely well-camouflaged or hidden in fallen leaves.

As we head into Autumn later this month, CJ Wildlife share some expert advice on how you can care for creatures visiting your garden.

Garden wildlife specialists and sponsors of the Big Butterfly Count, Vivara.co.uk, share expert tips on attracting wildlife to your garden.

Of all our butterfly names the most mysterious are the two royal ones: The Queen of Spain Fritillary and the Duke of Burgundy. Both names appeared for the first time in the second half of the eighteenth century, and both in the works of the artist and illustrator Moses Harris. Unfortunately Harris did not explain these names – and neither did anyone else! 

As Simon Saville completes his 1,200 mile cycle from Land's End to John o'Groats, he reflects back on the past 30 days.

Nature needs our help - let's raise £25,000 for butterflies and moths

Simon Saville, BC Trustee and Chair of the Surrey & SW London Branch, is three weeks into his gruelling 1,200 cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats to help fight the decline of butterflies and moths.

In his latest blog he talks about his journey so far and how he feels approaching its end.