Category Archives: European butterflies

Past Pleasures — Noel Humphrey’s British Butterflies

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Rick

The still-gloomy end of winter, with its short days and cold temperatures, means we can spend time perusing some of the 19th-century lep-works without fear of missing out on what’s happening in the field. With this dispensation in mind, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in European butterflies, general butterfly news, Identification tips, Review | 1 Comment

Urban Life for Leps is Driving Their Evolution

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Rick

Much work has been done on the effects of urbanization, and especially light and sounds, on bird fauna.  In general, the effects have been fairly striking, including more singing at “night” (because there is artificial lighting) and changes to song … Continue reading →

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Butterfly Almanac and Forecast for Week of 2022 May 7

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Rick

New or Notable This Week: Peck’s Skipper, Sachem, Zabulon Skipper, Northern Cloudywing, Early Hairstreak, European Peacock, Southern Dogface I didn’t exactly rush to print with this Forecast, since we’re socked in with rain and cool weather all weekend. In fact, … Continue reading →

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Climate Change is also Changing the Size of Butterflies

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Rick

We’re starting to see butterflies on the wing now that the weather is warming up, and all the Facebook pages and listserv conversations are filling up with photos (of varying quality) of butterflies on dandelions, butterflies on bluebells, butterflies on … Continue reading →

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What can butterflies and moths teach us about conserving nature on a warming planet?

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Rick

View this interesting presentation by Callum Macgregor from the University of Hull as he discusses what we know and suspect about the impact of climate change on butterflies and moths. Callum’s talk was part of the Thomas C Emmel seminar … Continue reading →

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Effects of extreme weather events on butterfly populations

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Rick

Increasingly frequent extreme weather events could threaten butterfly populations in the UK and could be the cause of recently reported butterfly population crashes, according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). Researchers investigated the impact of Extreme Climatic … Continue reading →

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Butterfly Conservation Europe Activity Report 2015

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Rick

The Brits and Europeans are yards (pun intended) ahead of us Yanks on undertaking butterfly conservation projects.  Practically every British county (equivalent to our States) has its own butterfly monitoring scheme, field activities, and conservation programs in place, and much … Continue reading →

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Multiple Mourning Cloaks

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Rick

Usually in the spring I note something about Mourning Cloaks — most recently, the differences between two principal forms we see in North America, hyperborea (a tawny red color) vs the darker lintnerii.  Today Norbert shared with us two new … Continue reading →

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Cigarettes and alcohol …. and moths

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Rick

The British moth world is aflutter with expectations of a strong migrant push for one of its star sphinx moths, the Convolvulus Hawk-moth.  The notes below are from press materials prepared by Butterfly Conservation in the UK — and the … Continue reading →

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Major Painted Lady Migration in the UK

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Rick

Britain is currently experiencing a once-in-a-decade Painted Lady irruption, as detailed in the news story below from Butterfly Conservation UK: >>The UK is braced for a once in a decade influx of Painted Ladies with the potential for millions of … Continue reading →

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