James CBR

Fallow Deer at Shimpling, Suffolk. A small part of a herd that recently numbered 114+ animals. From the local Landscape Recovery project: 'the highest risk to the success of habitat enhancement and creation in the long-term, is the lack of deer management.' I'd never have guessed! 🦌🦌🦌.......

UK Butterfly Recorders' Meeting Butterfly Conservation holds an annual meeting for butterfly recorders in the UK.  These meetings provide a great opportunity to hear about progress with the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM)…

Save the date! Join us on Sat 28th March 2026 for the UK Butterfly Recorders meeting.

This free event is open to anyone intersted in butterfly monitoring. We'll present the 2025 UKBMS results, update on other monitoring schemes and talks about butterfly ecology.

A review of the butterfly season in Northamptonshire during 2025 — Northants Butterflies A review of the butterfly season in Northamptonshire during 2025

Here is the review of the 2025 butterfly season in Northamptonshire. It was certainly an interesting year, and it was fantastic to see records from two species that were considered extinct in the county making an appearance!

www.northantsbutterflies.com/the-butterfl...

Thank you 😊

Peacock butterfly on the windowsill having found its way indoors.

Lucie discovered this Peacock inside our home today. Not sure if this counts as a first of my year sighting or even when and how it got in but it's now safely settled down in our unheated summerhouse. 🙏🏻🦋
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Yes, a couple of records are received each year from the Suffolk coast, too. Seriously, I do wonder what might happen if the British subspecies britannicus met one of the European subspecies i.e. ssp. gorganus, after any colonisation.
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social

A Clouded Yellow butterfly sits on a Common Fleabane flower in north Lowestoft, Suffolk.

It was a good year for Clouded Yellow butterflies in Suffolk, being reported 100x more than 2024! Details later in my 2025 report. Here's one I photographed in Lowestoft, where I was also lucky enough to see a helice form and an egg-laying female.
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A good day to make plans for your garden? Planting a tree can support multiple species of moths and butterflies. e.g. an apple tree can host more than 50 types of caterpillar and their blossoms are a nectar source for butterflies. To discover more buff.ly/1M6bMCn

The BTO have just reported that 56% of UK butterfly species have been recorded in gardens. It shows how important gardens are to UK wildlife, to learn more sign up to the Butterfly Conservation newsletter for monthly tips on how to attract more butterflies to your garden buff.ly/6xHYo5j

Sorry for the delay. I have several spreadsheets which cannot be combined until end of year so the number is an approximation.
A few duplicates etc may be in this Suffolk total so far of 1160 sightings. Some areas had a bumper season while others saw no improvement. Very localised.

Over the long term, it is a dire situation and it's now in the same category as the Wall Brown (thin on the ground and a real treat to see). (end)

I will have a look at my Suffolk data and see what our situation is like. I do visit Norfolk regularly and saw several Small Tortoiseshell in the Loddon and Surlingham areas in their summer and autumn broods, a welcome increase on previous years. (1 of 2)

Apparently, it best resembles a Little Owl for eye size and hiss.

We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.

For the first time, humans have tracked an individual butterfly, as shown in the Monarch migration of north America.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Number of European butterflies at risk of extinction increases The number of butterflies at risk of extinction across Europe has increased significantly in the past 15 years, a new assessment has warned. Across the continent, 65 out of 442 assessed species are now facing the threat of extinction, up from 37 in 2010. This accounts for 15% of all European species.

The number of butterflies at risk of extinction across Europe has increased significantly in the past 15 years, a new assessment has warned:

Train worker who saved passengers from stabbings leaves hospital Samir Zitouni's family say they are

Great news:

Great. I haven't seen more than half a dozen for the whole year. It's not that bad, though. It's been a cracking year for Clouded Yellow in Suffolk with two (probable) Pale Clouded Yellow reported as well.

Good news for people wanting to see migrant species of butterflies and moths.
Not so good for our Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow trying to fly south though.

At Landguard this morning and if it wasn't for the lingering Pallas's Warbler and Barred Warbler you could be forgiven for thinking that autumn migration was over but during a couple of brief sunny spells 2 Clouded Yellows, one Helice and a single Small Copper brightened things up somewhat

They're beautiful in flight. Sadly, we have to wait until May or even June for our British subspecies to be on the wing again. Enjoy your swallowtails.

A lot of small birds do seem to hide away in windy weather. Some reasons for it, including being unable to hear and see predators as well. Rustling sounds and moving plant material interfere with their movement based predator detection. They can't control their evasive manoeuvres as well in gusts.

YouTube video by Butterfly Conservation Celebrating 50 years of butterfly monitoring

We're thrilled to share this film featuring some of the dedicated volunteers who monitor butterflies for the UKBMS

A huge thank you to them, and everyone who's supported the scheme over the last 50 years.
#UKBMS50

youtu.be/OrF5AgseX1U?...

As the sun was out in Felixstowe, Butterflies seemed a good choice either side of lunchtime for a walk to the butts area Landguard which produced 3 Clouded Yellows 5 Small Copper 1 Small White and a Red Admiral

National security threatened by climate crisis, UK intelligence chiefs due to warn Report by joint intelligence committee delayed, with concerns expressed that it may not be published

Why isn't this a bigger story?
The joint intelligence committee prepare a report saying our national security is at risk from environmental collapse. And No. 10 bury because they don't to draw attention to how little they care!
@snellarthur.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Downy woodpecker entangled in plastic artificial decorative Halloween spider webs.

What frightens me most about Halloween cobwebs isn’t how they look…..it’s that they catch the living.
Enjoy the season, but keep the plastic webs indoors; or skip them altogether.

Front cover of the European Butterfly Red List, showing Polyommatus humedasae. The report can be downloaded at https://www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?name=red-list-butterflies-2025

The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...

Sooo happy you got to see one. They're having a fantastic year. Once a decade we have a bumper season and this is one of those years.

Lovely sunshine and a few butterflies still fluttering about at Ilketshall St Andrew common and field edges @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Press briefing today at IUCN Global Biodiversity Conference, giving results of the new Red List of European butterflies. It’s not good. Full details will be published tomorrow. Watch this space @europebutterfly.bsky.social

Clouded Yellow at Aldeburgh Town Marshes today. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social