Book Description

This full-colour, superbly illustrated atlas presents the findings of Butterflies for the New Millennium, the most comprehensive survey of butterflies ever undertaken in Britain and Ireland. After five years of recording by thousands of volunteers, it provides an up-to-date assessment of our butterflies, the habitats they live in, the threats they face, and the major changes that have occurred since publication of the previous such atlas in 1984. The body of the book is taken up with species by species accounts, each accompanied by a full-page distribution map and colour photographs of the butterfly concerned. A wider context is provided by considering long-term trends in distribution, derived from 200 years of recording and recent changes elsewhere in Europe. In addition, the book summarises the wealth of new information about butterfly ecology, incorporates findings from the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, describes and illustrates the habitats favoured by particular communities of butterflies, and presents a vision of how these popular insects might be conserved in the future. As such, it will be invaluable to a wide range of readers, from amateur naturalists to professional conservationists and policy makers.