Pete Eeles has reviewed a new software product for butterfly enthusiasts, "British Butterflies - an Interactive Guide", from BirdGuides.

From the publisher: This DVD-ROM reference guide provides comprehensive multimedia coverage of all 61 butterfly species that regularly occur in Britain and Ireland (including the recently split Réal's Wood White). This new edition contains over 200 video clips presented using the latest high-quality digital video technology and filmed by professional natural history cameraman Derek Budd. 100 beautiful still photographs have been added, all maps updated with the latest distribution data and the text species accounts revised. You can easily compare any species side by side, with simultaneous video and wonderful illustrations by Richard Lewington. There are also evocative spoken commentaries for every species by naturalist Richard Williamson.

Click here to read the review.

Lynn Fomison has kindly reviewed a new book for children, "All About Butterflies", written by Matthew Oates.

From the publisher: All About Butterflies is the perfect children’s guide to the fascinating world of butterflies. Leading butterfly specialist Matthew Oates provides a clear and concise guide to over 56 species of British and European butterfly, aimed at 8–12 year olds. Features an introduction explaining definitions, butterfly life cycles, key facts and info about butterflies, and all you need to know to become a butterfly expert. Beautiful artworks bring alive the amazing and colourful world of butterflies. Butterflies are grouped by family to help identification. Each entry gives essential info on when and where to look for the species, how to identify it, and what its caterpillar eats, as well as amazing and little known facts about it. Includes ‘Difficult words’ section to explain scientific terms.

Click here to read the review.

The Autumn 2008 issue of Butterfly, Butterfly Conservation's magazine is now out. As usual, plenty of excellent articles and news! Not a Butterfly Conservation member? Click here to enter the Butterfly Conservation website where you can find joining instructions.

The 2008 photography competition is now open for voting! In keeping with the "online" nature of the UK Butterflies website, the competition itself will be conducted entirely over the web! The overall winner of the competition will be eligible for the publication of their choice from UK Butterflies sponsor WILDGuides. Click here to view the submissions and vote!

The following updates have been made to the website and many thanks to all contributors. A full list of contributors can be found on the Contributing page.

• New photos of Adonis Blue, Apollo, Arran Brown, Bath White, Berger's Clouded Yellow, Black-veined White, Brimstone, Brown Argus, Camberwell Beauty, Chalkhill Blue, Clouded Yellow, Comma, Common Blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Gatekeeper, Grayling, Green-underside Blue, Green-veined White, Heath Fritillary, Holly Blue, Julia, Large Copper, Large Skipper, Large Wall, Mallow Skipper, Map, Marbled White, Mazarine Blue, Niobe Fritillary, Northern Brown Argus, Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper, Pale Clouded Yellow, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Purple Emperor, Purple-shot Copper, Queen of Spain Fritillary, Red Admiral, Ringlet, Scarce Copper, Scarce Swallowtail, Short-tailed Blue, Silver-studded Blue, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Copper, Small White, Sooty Copper, Southern Festoon, Speckled Wood, Spotted Fritillary, Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail, Wall, Weaver's Fritillary, White Admiral from various contributors.

I was delighted to receive an invitation to the Butterfly Conservation open day on 6th September 2008, held at Butterfly Conservation's HQ in Lulworth, where Jim Knight MP, and Schools Minister, officially launched the "Learn" section of the BC website. This aspect of the website is an extremely valuable resource for both teachers and children, is linked to the National Curriculum, and contains a number of educationally-oriented games. Just click on the Learn tab on the BC website to see more. Click here to read more.

I first met David, by chance, in June 2007 at Collard Hill, the Large Blue open access site. David’s reputation had preceded him and I was more-than-aware of David’s pivotal role in the reintroduction of the Large Blue butterfly to our shores. After that initial meeting, we agreed that it would be good to meet up sometime for a longer chat.

And so it was to be. David kindly showed me around several Large Blue reintroduction sites in Somerset in June 2008, where I learned a great deal about the reintroduction programme and the ecology of the Large Blue butterfly. We also sat down for lunch where I got the chance to ask David some burning questions. Click here to read the interview. - Pete Eeles

The new-look forums were implemented at the start of the year and now, at last, I'm pleased to say that the new blog system is up and running. All existing blogs have been migrated. A blog is a "web log" where registered users can, in essence, keep a diary of their exploits for others to see and comment on. Click here to see the various blogs.

A new book, Nomads of the Wind, which is focused on the story of the migration of the Monarch butterfly, is released on 1st April. Click here to see a summary and review. From the flyer:

Perhaps the most incredible feat of all is the 2,000 mile migration of the Monarch butterfly. Once a year millions of a special long-living generation of Monarchs migrate from the north-eastern United States and southern Canada to the Oyamel fir forests of Mexico, where they survive the winter. But then, as soon as they feel the first warmth of spring they all set out on the return journey through the Rio Grande and Texas, procreating on the way, until the second and third generations arrive back at the Great Lakes to start the cycle all over again. Award-winning nature photographer Ingo Arndt has followed them on their journey while the accompanying informative text by Claus-Peter Lieckfeld and Peter Huemer explains the latest research on the migration and describes in detail the transformation from caterpillar to magnificently coloured butterfly.

Butterfly World’s £25m project plans to help reverse 76% decline in UK butterfly species.

Sir David Attenborough is marking the start of construction on Butterfly World, just off the M25 near St.Albans, a world-class pioneering project, with a stark conservation warning: “More than three quarters of British butterfly species have declined in the last 20 years, some of them very rapidly. That is worrying, not least because these declines indicate an underlying deterioration of the environment as a whole. For the sake of future generations we must take action now.”.

Click here to read the full press release.

It's taken a while, but a trip report from Bulgaria in 2007 is now available! Click here to see the report, and thanks to everyone who contributed.

I'm delighted to announce the publication of Adrian Riley's new book, British and Irish Butterflies. Click here to see a summary and review. From the flyer:

This lavishly illustrated butterfly book is the first to cover all the adult forms found in the British Isles, including sub-species, written by a highly experienced lepidopterist. The clear directions and field tips, with added OS grid references, will assist you in finding the butterflies and also in identifying them in their habitats, guided by details of behaviour and morphology. The text is complemented with over 270 photographs of living specimens of all the taxa in full colour. This volume is supported by Butterfly Conservation in their efforts to protect the butterfly fauna of these islands, whilst at the same time, encouraging greater public awareness of their existence and beauty.

The votes have been counted and here are the results! Click here to see the full list of winners of the 2007 UK Butterflies Photography Competition. Thanks to all who entered, all who voted, and many congratulations to the winners. The overall winners as voted for by UK Butterflies visitors are shown below.

Malcolm wins an autographed copy of Britain's Butterflies by David Tomlinson and Rob Still, which has been kindly donated by UK Butterflies sponsor WILDGuides.

UK Butterflies sponsor, Anglian Lepidopterist Supplies (specifically, Jon Clifton and Adrian Wander), have produced a Beginner's Guide to Moth Trapping - click here to see the guide. And please remember that, if you want to support UK Butterflies, then please support its sponsors!

This update sees the introduction of the UK Butterflies stock photo library, which can be accessed from the Photography menu. This facility will allow photos in the library to be more-easily made available. Photos are free-of-charge to charitable and non-profit organisations. All funds generated from the stock photos will contribute to the running of the UK Butterflies website, with all profits going to Butterfly Conservation. If you'd like to consider contributing your photos then please read the contributing guidelines. My thanks to the first photographers to contribute their photos - Gary Richardson and Lisa Baker-Richardson. The library has already received its first reference from St Bridget's Primary School, Glasgow.

The Philip's Guide to Butterflies of Britain and Ireland is a new book from Jeremy Thomas, of Large Blue fame, with illustrations by Richard Lewington and Ken Oliver.

This book is a field guide to the butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Expect to carry it with you on your excursions. Expect to refer to it when examining your photos after a day’s outing. Believe me, it won’t disappoint. The book is essentially a significantly revised version of Jeremy’s RSNC (Royal Society for Nature Conservation) guide, produced in 1986. Click here to see a review, and details of a special offer for UK Butterflies visitors.

Following several requests on the UK Butterflies forums, Martin Warren of Butterfly Conservation has kindly sent me BC's policy on introductions and re-introductions. Click here to access the policy document.

From the policy document: "Most introductions and re-introductions fail. Nevertheless, there are good reasons to attempt them under certain circumstances. Moreover, many people keen to see an environment rich again in butterflies and moths want to help this happen. However, a careful approach is needed, not least because we need to learn from attempts being made. Following an attempt at introduction or re-introduction, continuity of management and monitoring are vital. The habitat requirements of the species and the reasons for its decline should be understood, while the cause of its extinction on the receptor site should have been removed. There should be a long-term management plan that will maintain suitable habitat, and the site should be large enough to sustain a viable population.

Given the amount of interest in butterfly photography, a new monthly photography competition has been set up. The competition will be run via the UK Butterflies forums where all members registered with the forums may enter, and vote. If you're not registered on the forums and wish to enter, or vote, then click on the Forums link at the top of this page, and then the "Register" link at the top of the page you're taken to. You can then enter the Competitions forum to enter, or vote, or simply peruse the entries!