Butterfly Conservation 🦋

St Albans is one of a number of councils Butterfly Conservation is working with across the UK to take action for butterflies and moths. Read the full story 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/…

40 grassland sites across St Albans district have been seeded with wildflowers and mowed only once in late summer as part of the Wilder St Albans project. The results? Sightings of butterflies during site visits were up by an average of 80% on 2024 and 350% on 2022. 🦋

Starting the weekend as we mean to go on: with more positive nature news! 📰 Butterflies are booming in Hertfordshire thanks to the efforts of @StAlbansCouncil, Butterfly Conservation's Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch and several other organisations. 📷: Malcolm Hull

Through the @NaturAmByth partnership, our work with dedicated volunteers and landowners is helping this endangered butterfly to thrive once again. Learn more about the project 👉 naturambyth.cymru/en/our-work/hi… @HeritageFundUK

Sadly, the High Brown has undergone dramatic declines across the UK, and in Wales, only a single colony remains in the Vale of Glamorgan. 📷: Paul Dunn

This #HeritageTreasures Day, we're celebrating the incredible High Brown Fritillary 🎉 These large, elegant butterflies are found on bracken-dominated slopes where their caterpillar food plant, Common Dog-violet, grows.

📣 Nature targets are not optional – they are the law 📜 Will this Government be the first ever to break the law by missing legally binding nature targets? The Office of Environmental Protection says a big increase in action is needed or Government will fail to comply with wildlife restoration laws. Together with other NGOs, we’re calling for rapid action to reverse wildlife decline by 2030. 🔗Read more here: tinyurl.com/WCLresponse

With alien-like eggs and caterpillars looking like something out of a sci-fi film, the Vapourer is a truly weird and wonderful moth! 👽 Get to know our Species of the Month 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/… 📷: Antony Wren, Patrick Clement, Iain Leach #MothMonday #MothsMatter

@Lothiredon Thank you very much! 🦋

As part of our mission, we're donating to charities that align with our products. Today, we donated to @savebutterflies as part of our BUTTERFLY Add-On! 🦋 Go play it for yourself 👉 minecraft.net/en-us/marketpl…

Our annual UK Moth Recorders' Meeting is back with a fantastic line-up of talks exploring the latest developments in moth research and conservation! 📍 Where: Online 📅 When: Saturday 31 January Book your place 👉 eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-moth-reco… 📷: Marian Coburn

Thanks to keen moth recorder @DarrenStarkey for some great records this week despite the weather – having found 17 Heralds hibernating in one of the old air raid shelters on #SkipwithCommon & 9 Peacock butterflies - amazing & just shows what can be found even in these conditions.

Looking for a new challenge in 2026? Become a citizen scientist and collect vital information to help nature while having fun at the same time! 🔍 Here are some dates for your diary 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/… 📷: Chelsea Mae Photography

Need a mid-week pick-me-up? Here's some positive nature news 📰 2025 was the year of the Marsh Fritillary, with numbers increasing in many places across the UK thanks to dedicated habitat management. Read the full story 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/… 📷: Mark Searle

Did you know that only 2% of British butterflies and moths spend the winter as an adult? The majority survive as eggs, caterpillars or chrysalises 🐛 You can help them by leaving dead plants where they are until the following spring 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/do-nothing-for… 📷: Heath McDonald

Happy New Year! Butterflies and moths are often seen as a symbol of hope and new beginnings 🦋 Keep an eye out for these species in your gardens and local green spaces this month, and let us know what you see.

That's a wrap on 2025! 🎉 We'd like to say a huge thank you to all of our funders, partners, supporters and members and everyone who has supported our work this year. We couldn't have achieved any of this without you. 🦋

Looking for an exciting new role in 2026? Ionian Butterfly Conservation @ButterflyCorfu are looking for an Executive Director as they expand across the Greek Ionian Islands. For more and to apply, see: corfubutterflyconservation.org/downloads.php

The Winter Moth is one of the few species able to cope with freezing temperatures ❄️ The males use their low body weight and comparatively large wings to their advantage, while the females are completely flightless! 📷: Tamás Nestor, Antony Wren, Rob Blanken #MothMonday

We'd like to wish all of our wonderful followers and supporters a very Happy Christmas🎄🦋 Thank you for helping us to protect butterflies, moths and the environment. 📷: White Ermine - Rob Blanken

If you're hoping for a kiss under the mistletoe, you might be joined by an unexpected visitor 👀 Meet the Mistletoe Marble (Celypha woodiana) The English name for this micro-moth comes from its caterpillar foodplant, you guessed it, mistletoe! 📷: Bill Urwin, Patrick Clement