WILDGuides

The aim of this book is to help the reader to discover butterflies. It features detailed descriptions and photographs of 66 good places to find butterflies. They have been chosen not only because of the butterflies there, but because they are lovely places to visit in their own right. Readers can choose where they would like to go and find out what butterflies there are to be seen and where to look. Alternatively, they can select a butterfly and find out when and where to look and what to look for. The places included range from well-known ones like Arnside Knott and Denbies Hillside, to less popular sites like Wiveton Down in North Norfolk and the new wild flower meadows at Gunpowder Park in Essex.

Although the selection is a personal one by the author, the sites have been chosen so that readers will be led to at least one hotspot for every British species. And the beautiful and interesting places which the book describes will lead not only to butterflies but to the British countryside at its best.

The book also contains a section that features superb photographs and short descriptions of every butterfly separately, with historical information about their dates of discovery and name changes over the years. There is also a gazetteer with an extended list of butterfly reserves, a bibliography, and a list of relevant web sites.

Discover Butterflies in Britain was published in 2006, which coincidentally was the centenary of Richard South's classic The Butterflies of the British Isles. Sadly, the Black-veined White, Large Copper, Large Tortoiseshell and Mazarine Blue, which appeared in South's book, are no longer regarded as British species. The intention behind Discover Butterflies in Britain is to make readers more aware of the butterflies we have left. From this awareness, and hopefully the enjoyment it brings, it is hoped to encourage work on their conservation for the benefit of future generations.