✨ A very successful morning searching for marsh fritillary larval webs! ✨ We spent the morning surveying Lyscombe nature reserve for the larval webs of this rare and threatened butterfly. 🦋 And we were absolutely thrilled with what we found…

My friends garden has a rash of Convolvulus Hawkmoths at the moment! At least three last night around her Tobacco plants in Corfe Castle. Several other people have seen them locally too. I love all the pollen stuck to that huge proboscis. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

After a good 1st generation the Speckled Wood (bont zandoogje, P aegeria) suffers from the drought on Dutch Butterfly Monitoring transects. Numbers this summer are much lower. Still it remains a common and widespread butterfly who will recover once conditions become favourable.

Further good news after Dark Bordered Beauty was rediscovered in Northumberland. This morning I confirmed a new site for the species in Scotland. Last year I was surprised to find a single male in one of my traps, but we thought it could be a wanderer. Last night, I found 2 more males! #TeamMoth

I love the little new moons on the underside of Purple Thorns. They may well serve the same function as the tiny c on the Comma butterfly, which amazingly has been shown to reduce bird predation #mothsmatter @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Today is the start of week 21. The deadline for submitting all your data for the UKBMS is the end of October - so get ahead and enter all your data to date. This gives our team of volunteer Coordinators and species experts time to check, validate and verify your records.

📢 NEW holiday! 🦋🇫🇷 Butterflies of The French Alps: Mercantour & the Queyras 10th - 17th July 2027 We first holidayed here in 2014 & no wonder we always return - beautiful landscapes a bonanza of butterflies! Find out more and book here: greenwings.co/our-holidays... @europebutterfly.bsky.social

Rups van de grote beer (Arctia caja) gespot? Vaak rent hij over paden richting verpopping. Deze alleseter komt in veel verschillende biotopen voor houdt van kruiden en heeft voorkeur voor waterzuring als voedselplant in moerasgebieden. #SectieBink #ElkeDagEenRups #ElkeDagEenInsect #InsectenWeetje

Orberthur's Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus) Romania Underside wing has a slight red tint with light coloured veins Found NW Africa, France, Spain, Poland, Greece, Russia, & Turkey Habitats are dry grassy flowery meadows Foodplants: Potentilla, Fragaria and Helianthemum #OrberthursSkipper

👉Read Dr. Paolo Mazzei's insights on the rediscovery of Papilio alexanor on the @pensoft.net's blog: blog.pensoft.net/2026/08/19/h...

How Citizen Science and Fieldwork Rediscovered Papilio alexanor in Southern Italy | Blog

The rediscovery of Papilio alexanor in southern Italy marks a historic moment for Italian lepidopterology.

blog.pensoft.net

🦋First stable population of protected #butterfly Papilio alexanor found in southern Italy (Campania-Basilicata border), previously unknown outside Liguria/Piedmont. New host plant recorded (Ferula glauca). Full research in our #openaccess journal👇 doi.org/10.3897/nl.4...

Local tip off to a Old Lady Moth (Mormo maura) roost in Stroud under a bridge over the River Frome Estimated to be over 100 roosting in 4 clusters #moths #mothsmatter #oldladymoth

When people say ''I have lots of butterflies in my garden'', it's useful to get a quantitative estimate, in a standardized way. Example: At friends' garden (Alps near Granoble) I counted >50 individuals, 8 spp in a 15 minute count. Try the ButterflyCount app, you can now register sites too!

Fascinating snapshot showing real strongholds of this species that likes damp grasslands.

Chris van Swaay@chrisvanswaay.eurosky.social · 2d ago

Density of Ringlet (koevinkje, A hyperantus) per 1000m per 50km square in July 2026 on transects and 15min counts entered with the ButterflyCount app. Highest densities in Baltic, Poland, Czech Rpb and Denmark. A species sensitive to droughts, so numbers next year may be considerably lower.

In these times of extreme drought and poor quality nettles, our local Red Admirals are turning to Pellitory-of-the-Wall which must have deep roots and is still green. Here are some shots of a larva, a larval tent and the plant itself @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Never a more important time for this research. What an opportunity for someone to make their name

Emilie Ellis@e-ellis1.bsky.social · 3d ago

🦋 I’m recruiting a fully funded PhD student at the University of Helsinki: understanding how butterflies respond to climate change across Europe. Apply by 30 Sept: Full details: jobs.helsinki.fi/job-invite/5... Please share! #ecology #job #phd

Suffolk Branch is run entirely by volunteers. If we do not have enough volunteers to fulfil various roles, the Branch will cease to exist after helping butterflies for 35 years. We have vacancies in 2 key roles Branch Chair & Transect Co-ordinator Please see suffolkbutterflies.org.uk for details

Picture postcards from our recently completed butterfly holiday in Slovenia. Upland Erebia’s were a main goal & we saw 14-15 species, including the endemic Lorkovic’s Brassy Ringlet (Erebia calcaria), Stygian Ringlet (Erebia styx), and Styrian Ringlet (Erebia stirius). @europebutterfly.bsky.social

Best #mothtrap of the year with 295 moths of 84?sp in Corfe Castle. Thrilled to catch this increasingly rare Grass Eggar. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

Two Long-tailed Blue on wild pea in Seaton, Devon. There were 5 at the beginning of the week. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #UKBirding #ukbutterflies.bsky.social

Hutchinsoni form of Comma in my garden today. These will be laying eggs for a second brood - I’d they can find any good nettles! @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

#mothfacefriday #vc55moths #teammoth A palp and eye view of Red Underwing (Catocala nupta).

Dark Bordered Beauty moth rediscovered in Northumberland after 70 years butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo...

Conservationist describes 'highlight of his career' rediscovering rare moth colony after 70 years

A Butterfly Conservation ecologist who has spent his life searching for a second colony of one of England's rarest moths has said it was the 'highlight of his career' when he achieved his dream.Dr Dav...

butterfly-conservation.org

Also a testiment to having easy to grow flowers like Red Valerian and Buddleia in our Purbeck gardens which Hummingbird Hawk Moths cant resist. But its good to see an increase in their abundance as well @martinswarren.bsky.social

martinswarren.bsky.social@martinswarren.bsky.social · 6d ago

When I was growing up, seeing a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was an incredibly rare and exciting event, but now I see scores every year. This year I have at least 5 at one time on my Buddleias. An upside of the climate crisis. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

When I was growing up, seeing a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was an incredibly rare and exciting event, but now I see scores every year. This year I have at least 5 at one time on my Buddleias. An upside of the climate crisis. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

Nice video of @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social work with many partners to save Duke of Burgundy in Dorset, thanks to funding by @dorsetlandscape.bsky.social. Lets hope all the good work by our volunteers pays off. dorset-nl.org.uk/dorset-downs...

Duke of Burgundy Butterfly critical site management | Dorset National Landscape

The natural beauty of this AONB is described by a suite of special qualities that together make it unique and outstanding, underpinning its designation as a nationally important protected landscape.

dorset-nl.org.uk

Week 20 of the transect season and butterflies are still going strong in N Dorset while many species are going over in the south. Meadow Browns and 2nd brood Common Blues are most numerous, but we have had a few records of Chalk Hill Blue at Fontmell, Lankham + Cashmoor, a species now rare inland.

I was shown some very small small tortoiseshells by the qualified entomologist owner of a tropical butterfly house. They'd got in as caterpillars before the heating was turned on and he said heat speeds up development in pupae so they came out small. They were about the size of a small copper.

Brown Hairstreak female (Thecla betulae). Due to a late cancellation we have 2 places available to join us for a butterfly focused day out in Sussex this week - Friday 14th July. Find out more and book on our website... greenwings.co/our-holidays... @europebutterfly.bsky.social

Found a nice drought refuge on the undercliffs on Purbeck coast. Wet seepage zone still with abundant flowers + few butterflies inc Clouded Yellows, Common Blues and second brood Dingy Skipper (shown). Also Small White larvae in their natural habitat on wild cabbage @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social