And we're off! In the rare breaks from the rain we have had our first butterfly reports. Peacock in Cambs on 12th Jan. Red Admiral in Essex on 17th Jan

An intrepid band of volunteers braved the rain today for Cornwall Butterfly Conservation's work party at Wheal Maid. We were removing encroaching Gorse, Sallow and Cotoneaster from a south-facing slope to restore the heathland for Grayling and Silver-studded Blues. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

You may have seen the Herald moth featured on Winterwatch last week. According to Norfolk Moths this species is widespread across the county and may be hibernating somewhere in a quiet space near you. They normally start to emerge as adults in the Spring. #mothsmatter

While many of our tours are fully booked, there are still just a few places left available on some of our butterfly or orchid tours in 2026. Until 1 February, we're offering £100 off those final places - so you've a week left to bag a discount. 😊 www.mariposanature.com/calendar

A few phone pics from today on our Butterflies of Colombia tour. A blue kind of day it seems, but not the mood - our group are having a ball with so many beautiful species to see & photograph! 💙🦋🇨🇴

The Small Heath (hooibeestje, C pamphilus) experienced a huge crash in 1991 on Dutch Butterfly Monitoring transects, maybe caused by extreme cold nights (-8C) in April. Though numbers are slowly going up, the species never fully recovered. #vlindermaand

An across-government technical assessment published today recognises that "nature is the foundation of national security" and that "every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse". A rational response to this would be to get very serious about nature recovery. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Large and Small tortoiseshell (grote en kleine vos, N polychloros and A urticae) show opposite trends in their distribution in NL. The Large T used to be rare, and is now widespread, esp. in the eastern half. The Small T is now rare outside the W and N. #vlindermaand

The Larger Tortoiseshell is seen occasionally in Suffolk. Maybe there will be more sightings in future and possibly breeding.

Similar here in Essex re ST, however signs of recovery for Wall, especially south and coastal. I had my first ever in central Essex in ‘25

In Cambs Small Tort is still found throughout the county, albeit in low numbers. Much like Wall the only reliable area for the species is The Fens. Large Tort has not yet recolonised. But with the amount of Elm we have it could do well

This Tuesday: Volunteer Work Party at Coton Reserve, 10.30–1.30. Help care for green spaces, learn new skills and enjoy the outdoors. Tools provided. Free ticket booking required. https://cambridgeppf.org/etn/volunteer-work-party-14/ #VolunteerWorkParty #ConservationVolunteers #GetOutside

This Sunday: Leper Chapel Open Day, 1.30–3.30pm. Step inside one of Cambridge’s oldest buildings and explore with a volunteer guide. Support step-free access via the Leper Chapel Appeal. https://cambridgeppf.org/save-the-leper-chapel/

Seems it's just a matter of time before the continental form colonises southern England @patrickbarkham.bsky.social @martinswarren.bsky.social

Superb conservation evidence conference in Cambridge today. Hopefully it will all be online for catch up on talks from @jakefiennes.bsky.social @craigbennett3.bsky.social and others. Also brilliant to meet @djhbutterflies.bsky.social

CNHS Spring Talks - in person or online. Anyone welcome.

Cambridge City Council has prepared an update to its biodiversity strategy, and a new "Urban Forest strategy". Both are available for review and comment now engage.cambridge.gov.uk/en-GB/projec...

Conservation grazing to boost grassland restoration at NT Wimpole, Cambs Dartmoor ponies to graze National Trust land at Wimpole Estate - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Almost time for the first work party of the year in Essex, Sunday 11th Jan... butterfly-conservation.org/events/work-... @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social Wrap up warm and bring a hot flask! 🦋

Moth round-up 2025 with some great species recorded at home (first two collages) and away. The garden total (Royston, Cambs VC29) was around 340 species #TeamMoth

Mazarine Blue used to be a resident of our region. For example being recorded in the Gog Magog hills near Cambridge. A site that is now the best in the region for Small Blue

Happy New Year everyone. Looking forward to another lepidopteran year. Please let us know when you see your first moth or butterfly. We will try to provide updates, including first reports of each butterfly species in our region.

Great News: Corfu Butterfly Conservation transitioned to Ionian Butterfly Conservation (IBC) on 27 November 2025. This allows IBC to collect data from all the major islands, including Lefkas, Ithaca, Kephalonia,and Zakynthos, as well as Corfu. See IonianButterflyConservation.org for more news.

Cambs Local Nature Recovery Strategy is finalised and online. Along with a digital habitat map of the county. We supported this process and it's great to see this public cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/local-nature...

Great news that the National Trust hopes to buy Giant Hill, one of the most important butterfly sites in Dorset. Please support the appeal if you can. Our Branch have been monitoring the site for decades and helping to maintain species like the Duke of Burgundy www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Wildlife Trust facing woodland crisis thanks to tree disease @wildlifebcn.org www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

We are delighted to have @davegoulson.bsky.social give a zoom presentation (joint with #BCSurreySWLondon) on 3rd December. Booking is free but essential www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/saving-our... @savebutterflies.bsky.social #teammoth www.hertsmiddx-butterflies.org.uk/winter-zoom.... Correct date 3rd!

🏙️ Cambridge could see 50,000 new homes over the next 20 years – a “Second Cambridge”! Read our blog, explore the plan, and join the conversation before the public consultation opens 1 Dec 2025: https://cambridgeppf.org/doubling-the-size-of-cambridge/  #GreaterCambridge #LocalPlan

BBC News - Council looking for ideas to boost biodiversity in Peterborough - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

WORK PARTY - Sun 23/11, 10am Devil's Dyke near Newmarket. Please come along and help us with essential conservation work to support the Chalkhill Blue, Adonis Blue, Dingy Skipper, and other grassland species. butterfly-conservation.org/events/cambs...

Late notice, sorry. But I am giving a talk about butterflies at the Fulbourn Gardening Society tonight (Tuesday 18th Nov). Starting 7:30pm The Swifts, on the west side of Haggis Gap, Fulbourn CB21 5HD.

It's #FrohawkFriday, the day we celebrate the butterfly studies and artwork of FW Frohawk. Today features Large Copper, a flaming brand of a butterfly that once haunted the fens of East Anglia. Habitat loss, draining of the land for agriculture, sealed their fate - now lost as a British native.

Clouded Yellow at Bobbingworth NR. #Essex @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Wonderful to see so many butterfly and moth enthusiasts at our AGM and Members Day. Great to hear so much super work being done by our dedicated volunteers

** BRANCH AGM TOMORROW ** A reminder that the Cambridgeshire & Essex branch's AGM and Members' Day is in-person this year. Foxton Village Hall on Saturday November 8th at 2pm All Cambridgeshire & Essex BC branch members are invited to join us.

Hope Farm in Cambs uses a @ukbms.bsky.social transect as one of their methods to track biodiversity changes on the farm

A surprise find in our #pollinator garden this afternoon, 21st October. A very fresh looking female Holly Blue. Not seen one this late in the year before. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #irecordbutterflies

A trio of autumn greens from Peterborough... It's proving to be quite the year for Merveille du Jours - seven individuals in the last two nights, when normally we're lucky to see one or two...plus a scatter of more subtle Green-brindled Crescents and Red-green Carpets #teammoth #'mothsmatter

The moth survey across the @greatfen.org.uk this week produced some stunning results, including: the impressive Clifden Nonpareil (Blue Underwing), yet another L-album Wainscot, a magnificent male Great Silver Water Beetle, and plenty of the stunning Merveille du Jour.

Third phase of consultation opens for proposed reservoir in the Fens New details of the plans. Consultation open until December www.anglianwater.co.uk/news/third-p...

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

BBC News - Rare swallowtail butterfly project trialled at Ipswich farm - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Will frozen Swallowtail eggs be viable? Might this be a suitable conservation strategy for our beleaguered sub-species. ARU is going to investigate @patrickbarkham.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

2 Clouded Yellows at Gt Wigborough church this morning also 2 Wall Browns, Small Heath and Common Blues still on the wing. 6 + Goldcrests there also. Water levels still dropping at Abberton #essexbirding

Had a iRecord June record redetermined by the Simon, the country recorder to Horehound Long-horn Nemophora fasciella. A scarce species, distributed mainly in the south and south-east of England, but very local. Another good garden find. @mothiduk.bsky.social #moths @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Mothing has picked up a little, warmer evening (didn't get below 10C here in Cambs for me) #teamMoth 42 of 21 species, including first Beaded Chestnut of the year. Usually arrives on this date give or take a day or two, although was a week earlier in 2021 and 2020, and not till November in 2019

If you pick up the Guardian Weekend Magazine today, please read about my daughter Milly’s battle with Lyme disease. And if you’re feeling bold, drop your copy into your local GP. There are thousands of Millys out there. Most are currently not helped at all by the NHS or, worse, not believed.