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.
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.
Global Bird Fair 2025
The East Midlands Branch will be having their usual stand in Swallow Marquee at the Bird Fair. This year we will be supported by Sophie Hall from Head Office who will be promoting the Big Butterfly Count. The Leicestershire Butterfly Recorder, Richard Jeffery, will be there Friday and Saturday along with other committee members. We will also have Ian Patterson, chair of the Lincolnshire Branch for all 3 days. As well as our popular plant sales we will have a lovely selection of butterfly related items for sale. There will be moths caught over each night and lots of new information from BC. Please come along and support the Branch or stop for a sit down and chat, we love to welcome members and visitors to the stand.
The Green Apple
Butterfly Conservation, in a joint venture with South Derbyshire District Council were both awarded the Green Apple Silver Award for the Environment for their Sallow planting project to help encourage the spread of Purple Emperor into south Derbyshire and beyond.
Recently, Ken Orpe, butterfly recorder for Derbyshire and the main instigator of the project, was honoured to receive the award on behalf of both organisations, and he is pictured above with the award (and a green apple, of course!)
Hoe Grange Quarry Open Day 2025
In a spring and summer awash with sunshine and butterflies, the weather was disappointing in the early part of the day but later it picked up and 18 butterfly species were sighted including Marbled White - a new species for the reserve!.
Over 200 visitors attended the event courtesy of Longcliffe Quarries and with help from Emily Howes of DWT who did a sterling job with the pond dipping.
Also in attendance was Ian Middlebrook, Programme Leader at UKBMS, who had travelled up with his wife from Weymouth and who was able to meet with some of the East Midlands transecteers.
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.
Big Butterfly Count 2025 - How to Take Part.
The Big Butterfly Count begins on Friday 18th July 2025 and will run until Sunday 10th August.
Butterfly Emergency; The Recent Evidence from Notts
A presentation by Notts CR, Stephen Mathers
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,
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.
Tiger Moths - Flying in a postcode near you?
Click or tap on the Garden Tiger to see a feature researched and written by Stephen Mathers
Garden Tiger by Steve Mathers
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