Welcome to the Yorkshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Butterflies are not only beautiful and fascinating creatures but are also highly responsive to the environment. David Attenborough described them as 'A thermometer of the health of our natural world' Many species of butterfly are in decline and a quarter are facing extinction. We have lost more than 98% of our traditional meadows and woodland in recent times so it is crucial we raise awareness about the threats facing our butterflies, moths, their habitats and our natural environment. Yorkshire Branch work in partnership with land owners, local authorities, conservation bodies, businesses and the local community to achieve this. Here in Yorkshire the Duke of Burgundy and Pearl Bordered Fritillary are particularly vulnerable due to habitat loss and increasingly susceptible to extinction. Yorkshire also has the only remaining colony of the Dark Bordered Beauty Moth in England, on Strensall Common and is on the brink of extinction.
Become a member today and help us save butterflies, moths and their habitats. There are many rewarding roles volunteering in recording and conservation just take a look at our Branch leaflet HERE . We have a real challenge when 60% of children in the UK have never seen a Peacock butterfly according to a YouGov Survey and 78% of parents are concerned that children don’t spend enough time interacting with nature. Founded in 1981 Yorkshire branch has more than 1800 members and nearly 100 transect walkers go out each week in summer to monitor butterfly sites across the county while dozens more join work parties to maintain habitat for our rarest species.
Your Guide to the Website
Menu Headings
Sightings : Our sightings system is live HERE to see what is going on and your latest pictures. Report your sightings HERE See Yorkshire First Sightings below
Events: See our Calendar below for what is coming up. More about our forthcoming Webinars HERE. Field events HERE or Work Parties HERE . Take a look on our YouTube Channel for recorded events HERE
Sites: Find out about sites to visit near you with our interactive Map of more than 300 sites and a list of Top sites. Download one of our Butterfly walks plus details of our reserves
Species Find out about our Yorkshire species or visit the Yorkshire Butterfly Atlas
Publications : to find the Argus twice annual news plus the Annual report
Contacts Find your local recorder and who represents you on the committee
Yorkshire Moths our sister website returns refreshed and new HERE
DIARY
First Sightings 2023
We are on the TELLY! The wonderful late Susan Stead and our Nick Hall talk to Michael Portillo for The BBC’s Great British Railway Journeys. at Shipley Meadow + Denso Marston NR episode no 5 in series 14 released on iplayer HERE
News
16th April Our latest video is a Butterfly ID course. which we co hosted with Yorkshire Wildlife. It is dedicated to helping our hundreds of Yorkshire butterfly surveyors identify tricky species like the 6 different white species below; not only still, but more importantly, in flight! It takes an in depth study of each of our species with the techniques you can use to help you be as accurate as possible on your transect walk.
15th April Our spring newsletter ARGUS 99 is now available to download HERE
28th March: The 2023 Annual Report is hot off the presses and you can now download using the password that has arrived with your members mail. Thank you all our contributors and especially Penny, Charlie and Catherine who bring all our work together.
23rd March, Do you live near these sites and are you flexible with your time? Volunteer walkers needed for Fen Bog
17th March A Review of the 2023 Butterfly season in Yorkshire from our monitored sites. It was so nearly a record year but there were still lots of losers
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