Welcome to the East Midlands Branch of Butterfly Conservation.
We cover the counties of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Derbyshire including the Peak District.
Butterfly Conservation is a membership organisation and has people with all sorts of interests and levels of knowledge - those who like looking at butterflies and moths in their garden, those who are fascinated by their life cycle, some who are true experts and want to pass on their knowledge to others and people who feel passionately about wildlife conservation.
The East Midlands Branch welcomes new members with any or all of the above interests. If you would like to find out more about joining Butterfly Conservation please contact our Membership Secretary.
Grizzled Skipper Monitoring and Recording HERE
NEW! First Sighting Dates for Leics & Rutland HERE
The Status and Recorded History of Nottinghamshire’s Butterflies (1850-2023)
Published in February 2024 as a free, digital-only publication of 106 pages, and written and researched by Nottinghamshire Recorder Steve Mathers. Available HERE. See a presentation by Steve given to the 2024 BAG Intriguing Invertebrates Seminar above.
Purple Emperor - The Tale of a Discovery
Read the fascinating story of the finding and subsequent dedicated searches in Sherwood Forest for the Purple Emperor, by Nicholas Brownley
AGM & MEMBERS' DAY 2024
Sunday 24th November 2024
Allestree Club, 39 Cornhill, Allestree, Derby DE22 2FS
Arrive 10.00 for 10.15 start
Following the brief AGM business, there will be talks on Clumber Park by Countryside Manager Gareth Jones, the Leicestershire Nature Recovery Strategy by Richard Jeffery and Lincolnshire by Ian Patterson with news of the Duke of Burgundy.
Member's slides will follow at 15:00 and there will be a buffet lunch (free to members).
Download the 
for full details.
Big Butterfly Count 2024 - Results
UK Butterfly Emergency Declared
- Butterfly Conservation calls on Government to declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and act now by banning toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, before it’s too late.
- Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2024 saw the lowest number of butterflies spotted per Count in its 14-year history.
- A third of species had their worst year on record ever.
- Read the full press release from Butterfly Conservation.
The Birds and the ... butterflies
The Global Bird Fair is one of the leading annual events supporting wildlife conservation. At this year’s event – at a new venue adjacent to Rutland Water READ MORE
Download a beautifully illustrated booklet introducing moths and why they matter.
Notts Butterfly Review 2022 by Steve Mathers
80% of butterflies have declined across the UK
Our butterflies are disappearing
Seven years on from the last State of UK’s Butterflies report, the plight of insects has become a common concern. However, conserving “the little things that run the world” remains an enormous challenge.
The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022 report has revealed the alarming news that 80% of butterflies in the UK have declined since the 1970s.
Rare Hornet Moth Colony found at BGS Keyworth
A colony of these rare clearwing moths has recently been discovered on site at the British Geological Survey headquarters in Keyworth, Notts.
Counting butterflies to calm the anxious mind
A new study from Derby University suggests that taking the time to watch and count butterflies can reduce anxiety, as well as providing vital information in the fight for nature.
Clearwing and Forester Project
Melanie Penson has produced a detailed, downloadable document on the results to date, with the methodology and objectives in her study of the status of these elusive moths.
Chequered Skippers can be seen in England for the first time in 45 years
Thanks to the expertise of Butterfly Conservation and international conservation experts, changes in land management techniques from Forestry England, and hard-working volunteers from Butterfly Conservation, the butterfly can be seen in England for the first time since 1976.
The Purple Emperor: An Idiosyncratic species with Dennis Dell
A talk delivered to the Yorkshire branch on 17th January 2022,
Imperial Invasion
Butterfly Conservation’s East Midlands branch (EMBC) has teamed up with South Derbyshire County Council (SDCC) to buy willow trees that will help create the habitat preferred by the Purple Emperor butterfly and promote this spectacular species’ steady march northwards through our region into Derbyshire.
Read the account by Gary Atkins of the first stage of this exciting project.
The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2021
This report summarises current knowledge of the state of Britain’s c.900 species of larger moths, presenting analyses of long-term change based on millions of records gathered through the Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) and National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS).
Dennis Dell on the spread of the Purple Emperor
Dennis Dell, our Purple Emperor champion (HIM), gives tips on how to find this iconic butterfly in an article originally written for the Yorkshire Branch.
Free Webinars!
2023 AGM & Members Day Minutes
And some previous ones can be found on the News & Posts page.
These contain much more than just the business of the AGM and have a wealth of information about the region's lepidoptera.