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 Habitat Management 2024-25 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.

Green Apple International Environment Award to Ken Orpe and SDDC
link to page

Starting with an idea by Ken Orpe to encourage the spread of the Purple Emperor........

Butterfly Emergency. The Recent Evidence from Notts
A presentation by Notts CR, Stephen Mathers

Bad news for some, but not all species did badly in 2024.

Steve looks at the butterflies family by family and reveals the trends.

First shown at the AGM and Members' Day on 24th November 2024, the presentation lasts 15 minutes.

Big Butterfly Count 2024 - Results
link to page
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
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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.
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Notts Butterfly Review 2022 by Steve Mathers
80% of butterflies have declined across the UK
link to page
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
link to page

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
image of peacock butterfly

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
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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
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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
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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.

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The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2021
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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).

Purple Emperor - The Tale of a Discovery
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Read the fascinating story of the finding and subsequent dedicated searches in Sherwood Forest for the Purple Emperor, by Nicholas Brownley

Free Webinars!
2023 AGM & Members Day Minutes
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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.