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Plight of the Swallowtail
Research on the Swallowtail and its host plant reveals some of the challenges the species is facing and how we can try to help it.
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Chequered Skippers - Taking Flight: 31st March: Susannah’s Transect Training
Over the last two weeks we have run three training events, with the hopes to inspire more people to take action for butterflies! After a morning of learning how to identify our Northamptonshire butterflies, along lots of handy tips from Susannah, we then headed out to some local woods to practice surveying for real.
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The big picture
Butterflies and moths need us to approach habitat management and restoration at a landscape scale if we want to help them survive, Dr Dan Hoare explains.
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Restoring flower-rich grasslands
Butterfly Conservation CEO, Julie Williams, explains why grasslands can be used for the benefit of plants, people, and the planet.
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Be more Brimstone
Eco-anxiety is not a disorder, it is entirely rational, says biologist and nature writer Dr Amy-Jane Beer. We don’t need therapy so much as coping strategies, because we can’t afford to be disabled by it.
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Chequered Skippers - Taking Flight: 21st March: Beyond the butterflies – how helping one species can help another
Often falsely vilified, Adders are a shy and sensitive species. Identified by the zig-zag pattern down their body, the males tend to have a black zig-zag on a grey background, whereas females have a paler zig-zag and a more caramel background. This differentiates them from our other native snake species, the Grass Snake and Smooth Snake. There are in fact six native reptile species in the UK!
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Chequered Skippers - Taking Flight: 18th of March
We had a great day today visiting Old Sulehay and Stonepit Close sites to see the work done by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust (BCN Wildlife Trust) to encourage butterflies, namely the Grizzled and Dingy Skipper, with hope one day our Chequered Skipper will make the jump to this site too.
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Chequered Skippers - Taking Flight: March
Spring begins at Fineshade Wood – from a smattering of Dog Violets and Common Primroses, the forest floor has transformed over the past few weeks, with the Lesser Celandine and Wood Sorrel appearing, followed by a white carpet of Wood Anenomes.
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Dig it: The Secret Gardener encourages us to feel hopeful this spring
The Secret Gardener explains how, during worrying times, we can find hope in nature and that we all have the power to help make a positive difference to our wildlife.
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Mothing through the ages
Peter Marren traces the evolution of mothing from its early experimental days to today's advanced techniques.
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Time to ban neonicotinoids with no exception
Neonicotinoid pesticides are in the news again. The evidence of the harm these pesticides do to pollinators and other wildlife is well known.
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How green is our valley?
Protecting and restoring our grasslands is key to unlocking the power of nature to mitigate the effects of climate change.
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The story of the Chequered Skipper in Scotland
Following the news of the successful reintroduction of the Chequered Skipper butterfly to England, Senior Conservation Officer for Scotland, Tom Prescott, looks at how the Chequered Skipper is faring in Scotland.
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Climate change and British butterflies
2021 was one of the seven warmest years on record. With temperatures rising, Professor Jane K Hill looks at how climate change is affecting Britain's butterflies.
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Climate Change - New research reveals UK plants are flowering earlier
Butterfly Conservation CEO, Julie Williams, shares her thoughts on how, with increasing evidence of the damage climate change is doing to our environment, the time to take action is now.
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Dig it: The Secret Gardener shares tips for encouraging nesting birds to your garden
Ensuring garden birds have everything they need to raise their chicks in your garden means providing habitat for moths.
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Dig it: The Secret Gardener explains why leaving wood in your garden is so important for insects
Whether you have a single decaying log or a stately stack of sticks, having fallen wood in your garden is a vital resource for insects.
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RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is back
While you eagerly await your first glimpse of a butterfly in 2022, why not enjoy other wildlife and take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.
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Dig it: The Secret Gardener encourages us to 'do nothing for nature' this winter!
With hundreds of caterpillars and pupae tucked away in our gardens over the harsh winter months, sometimes the best thing we can do for nature is nothing! Here the Secret Gardener explains why leaving leaves and not cutting back hedges is the best thing to do for butterflies and moths in the winter.
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Dig it: The Secret Gardener shares their top tips for bulbs and meadows this November
November is still a good time to plant bulbs that will flower in spring and summer of the following year, and if you're planning to establish a mini-meadow in your garden, now is the time to get started.
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Dig it: The Secret Gardener encourages us all to be mindful of butterflies and moths this autumn
When gardening in autumn and winter, I am always mindful that there are likely to be dozens of butterfly and moth species around me that I simply can't see because they are spending the winter extremely well-camouflaged or hidden in fallen leaves.
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Gardening Blog: Be aware this Autumn
As we head into Autumn later this month, CJ Wildlife share some expert advice on how you can care for creatures visiting your garden.
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How to encourage wildlife in your garden - Vivara
Garden wildlife specialists and sponsors of the Big Butterfly Count, Vivara.co.uk, share expert tips on attracting wildlife to your garden.
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Butterfly royalty: the Queen and the Duke by Peter Marren
Of all our butterfly names the most mysterious are the two royal ones: The Queen of Spain Fritillary and the Duke of Burgundy. Both names appeared for the first time in the second half of the eighteenth century, and both in the works of the artist and illustrator Moses Harris. Unfortunately Harris did not explain these names – and neither did anyone else!
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Simon Saville completes Bike For Butterflies challenge
As Simon Saville completes his 1,200 mile cycle from Land's End to John o'Groats, he reflects back on the past 30 days.
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Nature needs our help - let's raise £25,000 for butterflies and moths
Nature needs our help - let's raise £25,000 for butterflies and moths
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Day 22: How I feel after 3 weeks
Simon Saville, BC Trustee and Chair of the Surrey & SW London Branch, is three weeks into his gruelling 1,200 cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats to help fight the decline of butterflies and moths.
In his latest blog he talks about his journey so far and how he feels approaching its end.
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Day 15: half-way point - Bike For Butterflies
Simon Saville, BC Trustee and Chair of the Surrey & SW London Branch, is half way through his gruelling 1,200 cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats to help fight the decline of butterflies and moths.
In his latest blog he talks about hitting the halfway point.
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Time to Act - Bike for Butterflies
Butterfly Conservation Trustee Simon Saville shares an update on his Bike for Butterflies Challenge as he covers the first quarter of his 1,200 mile cycle.
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Simon Saville on his Bike for Butterflies Challenge
Butterfly Conservation Trustee and Chair the Surrey & SW London Branch will set off on a gruelling 1,200 mile cycle from Land's End to John o'Groats tomorrow to help raise awareness of the threat butterflies and moths are facing. As he travels down to Cornwall on the train, he shares his feelings ahead of this major challenge.