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 over 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
First Sightings 2025
15th January Almost everone noticed the devastating decline in our butterflies in 2024. Join Nick Hall looking for explanations and species trends with climate/weather longer term. Watch on You Tube below
News
24th March: A joint meeting with Yorkshire wildlife looking at the latest news affecting butterflies and Yorkshire wildlife presents an overview of it seminal publication on the State of Yorkshire's Nature. Nick Hall presents the reasons to monitor butterflies and issues of recording in 2024 poor weather. Nick presents the 20024 annual review in a historical context of the last 150 years and the last 20 years and how climate factors have impacted our species picking out how 2024 fared against other very poor years like 2016 and 2009 and comparing it to the national picture. We introduce all our new transects and their walkers and discuss issues of identification of the tricky White and Skipper families
6th March Its Brimstone lift-off day with temperature touching 17'C in Yorkshire. For the majority of us a Brimstone will be our first butterfly of the year. I was lucky enough to spot two at the Yorkshire Butterfly reserve at Shipley Station while advising on improving the meadow. Comma comes in at second place for first butterfly seen followed by Red Admiral, then Peacock. Just a handful of Small Tortoiseshells have been seen all away from the Vale of York. Birmstones seen currently are nearly all male as they feed and become sexually mature awaiting females to emerge in about another week. If you have an Alder buckthorn in the garden you likely will see the eggs starting to appear later this month. Quite often you see the eggs before the butterfly being quite conspicious ice blue colour on the buckthorn shoot tips. Most will be eaten by hungry Blue Tits before they hatch. Females lay on small usually isolated buckthorns in an effort to thwart the systematic searching of blue tits!
21st Feb. A fabulous talk from Mike Slater on ways of bringing back the Small Blue. Should we not copy this in Yorkshire on the magnesian limestone ridge from Lindrick to Catterick?
18th February. By popular demand Charlie Fletcher returns for a entertaining take on the 2024 Moth season and review the notable species. It has been a very busy year with some interersting migrants!
6th January: Join BC's Local Project Leader Harry Goldstone to learn more about the exciting 'Wildspaces' project happening with Leeds Parks, including Roundhay, local communities & schools. Book HERE
24th October The Autumn edition of the Argus is now available to download HERE
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