Well done to all the team at Butterfly Conservation Europe for this momentous piece of work. And a huge cast of moth enthusiasts from across Europe who leant us their expertise

IUCN SSC Butterfly & Moth Specialist Group@iucnbutterflysg.bsky.social · 3w ago

📣EUROPEAN RED LIST OF MOTHS PUBLISHED!📣 A m(amm)oth task - huge congratulations to the team! Spoiler: >3000 species assessed at the European level, 704 of them endemic. Ca. 25% are listed as Data Deficient & 11% threatened with extinction. op.europa.eu/en/publicati...

A fabulous Purple Emperor larva feeding low down in a Sallow in Epping Forest a couple of weeks ago, exposed by a UV torch at night. Extraordinary creatures and such a thrill to see them like this #Butterflies

Marsh Fritillaries Euphydryas aurinia starting to fly at some of the Dartmoor, Devon sites over the weekend. One was caught by a carnivorous Sundew but plenty survived to start the next generation of these rare and beautiful butterflies.

Earlier this week, I visited Poldice Mine for the annual survey of Cornwall Butterfly Conservation's experimental management plots. Created back in January 2024, it's fascinating to see how each plot is developing... 🧵

One of the first things that struck me starting in Epping Forest last spring was all the lovely old Crab Apples. With these, come rare Crab Apple feeding micros: the much-declined Argyresthia ivella tapped from a tree on a warm July morning, and Eudemis porphyrana, reared from larva in May #TeamMoth

The sort of butterfly moment you dream of today - wandering around the office (Epping Forest) in the late afternoon sun when I flushed a lovely old Large Tortoiseshell from the sunny wall next to this old plum - just wonderful. Seems to be the second recent record from the forest #Butterflies

New leafmine site update. Parornix atripalpella early stages seen for first time. Dicladispa testacea newly arrived in UK. Col prunifoliae - elusive species! Stigmella spinosissimae seen. Such an interesting update! leafmines.co.uk/html/updates...

This rather dapper moth is the Liquorice Piercer (Grapholita pallifrontana), our Species of the Month. ✨ The Liquorice Piercer is so named because its caterpillars pierce Wild Liquorice seed pods. 📷️: Will Langdon #MothMonday #MothsMatter #TeamMoth

Recently finished totting up my moths in Epping Forest last year - 671 species of which 277 were new for our database, 79 nationally scarce, and 4 new for Essex. Wonderful first year, so many exciting and rare species reflecting the forest's fantastic mix of habitats. Some highlights below...

Excellent to see this first paper from Will's PhD in print! Nice summary thread photos too!

Will Langdon@wlangdon12.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Excited to see one of my PhD chapters now published! We found a trade-off between the quality of host plants and how warm they were for a declining grassland butterfly (Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas) and looked at how this shaped their egg-laying choices: doi.org/10.1111/een....

'Extinct' butterfly spotted across England butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo...

'Extinct' butterfly spotted across England

A butterfly classed as extinct in the UK for more than 30 years has been seen at sites across southern England.Eagle-eyed nature lovers have captured photographs of Large Tortoiseshells in Kent, Hamps...

butterfly-conservation.org

Super excited to get my copy of this work. The images are fantastic, the text meticulously researched, and a number of very tricky rare micro species have their early stages described and illustrated for the first time. Set to be a game-changer!

Pieter Vantieghem@pietervantieghem.bsky.social · 5mo ago

So this arrived today, I don't think that micromoths of the low countries have ever before been compiled in one (2 volume) guide before in such a clear and accessible way, with life cycle info. Anyone with interest in micromoths of NW Europe should buy this! knnvuitgeverij.nl/artikel/hand...

Excited to see one of my PhD chapters now published! We found a trade-off between the quality of host plants and how warm they were for a declining grassland butterfly (Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas) and looked at how this shaped their egg-laying choices: doi.org/10.1111/een....

New Caledonian Forests are full of hidden natural treasures! 🌿🦋 Our new ZooKeys paper (led by Antoine Guiguet) describes two spectacular new species of Caloptilia moths—C. augeas and C. ceryneia—discovered in the Parc des Grandes Fougères. zookeys.pensoft.net/article/1738...

New research from Belgium doesn’t support the ‘lost generation’ theory for the decline of the Wall, but does show reduced survival with warming temperatures 🌍 nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... (📷 Mark Searle)

Britain has gained a new butterfly! The long-anticipated arrival of Southern Small White (Pieris mannii) has been confirmed.

Butterfly Conservation Suffolk@bc-suffolk.bsky.social · last yr.

From Landguard, Obsidentify says Southern Small White although this species is not on the British List yet so is the AI correct ! It has spread into the Low Countries from Southern Europe in recent years so is expected to arrive sometime.

An exciting Epping Forest micro from last week - a couple of Dichrorampha sylvicolana flushed from their Sneezewort foodplant in one of our damp grasslands. Last found in the forest, Essex and (seemingly) SE England by Maitland Emmet in the 70s, it's great to know it's still here.

Dystebenna stephensi was right at the top of my Epping Forest moth bucket list when I started working here, and so very pleased to have found lots of them on oak trunks in the last couple of weeks - rare, beautiful, and associated with fabulous old oaks. What's not to like! #TeamMoth

Thrilled to get acquainted with my first Epping Forest Purple Emperor the other week, found next to its empty pupal case in a UV-torch powered search after dark, which revealed three other (unhatched) pupae high in the Sallows, magical! #Butterflies @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

Do you know a young person with an interest in insects? 🦋 The Douglas Boyes Fund aims to provide people aged 14-18 with access to entomology equipment, fostering their passion for insects and inspiring them to engage and share their interest with other young individuals 🔽

Douglas Boyes Fund - Royal Entomological Society

The Douglas Boyes Fund has been established in honour of Douglas Boyes (1996-2021), an esteemed entomologist specialising in Lepidoptera. The Fund aims to provide young people aged 14-18 with access…

buff.ly

Arable land has been flattened by history of ploughing. In restoring such sites it is important to introduce variation. Here I look at butterfly banks and enthuse over the experimental testing. youtu.be/5kgAXVFo610?...

Habitat flattening: the often ignored component of conservation management and restoration

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts

youtu.be

Some work news - into my third month as the new(ish!) Assistant Conservation Officer in Epping Forest. Really excited to be working in such a fantastic, ancient mosaic of habitats, and enjoyed the first couple of months - mostly out in the field in beautiful spring weather, what's not to like...

So great to see Nick Bowles from Upper Thames BC recognised here - such a passionate, modest and determined guy who has done so much for butterflies and moths in the Upper Thames.

Butterfly Conservation@savebutterflies.bsky.social · last yr.

The results are in! We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the #VolunteerAwards2025 🏆🎉 These incredible individuals have gone above and beyond to make a difference for butterflies and moths. Meet this year's winners 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo... #VolunteersWeek

Really pleased with this one as I've been keeping an eye out for it for years: Coleophora siccifolia larval cases on birch. First case, cut-out for second case and two second cases (see ALT text for details). #TeamMoth #MothsMatter @doublekidney.bsky.social @bcyorkshire.bsky.social

Usually we see Tau emperors (Aglia tau, tau-vlinder), a large day-active moth, racing by, the males always seem in a hurry to find females. But this time we found a male sitting. What a spectacular moth!

One of the lesser appreciated things about Cambridge (UK) is what a green and generally nature friendly city it is. I don't mean the largely biodiversity poor manicured green of the university Colleges (though some like King's are making some effort). I mean the network of Commons and LNRs 🧵

Previously only recorded once in the UK in 2018, records of Pammene juniperana have been increasing since 2022. Pleased to finally share this paper with @jamesehammond.bsky.social confirming that this lovely moth is breeding here, probably both on both wild and garden Junipers: shorturl.at/E2LrU