Author: Phil Hall.

Published by Brambleby Books, 2016.

Softback, 224 pages.

From the publisher: "The author and his young daughter, who set off on a holiday in West Wales to observe whales and dolphins, stumble across the delights of Britain's native butterflies. Inspired, they start a quest to photograph all of the 58 breeding butterfly species in the UK, leading to an adventure that lasts five summers".

A Review by Peter Eeles, 27th September 2016

The Five-Year Butterfly Hunt follows the travels of the author over a period of five years, from 2006 to 2010, in search of the 58 mainland species of butterflies found in the British Isles. The story is interwoven with his family life, especially that of his daughter, son and new wife. The book itself is well-written, making for an easy read, and is sprinkled with a number of black and white photos.

This book will appeal most to those who are developing a new (or renewed) interest in butterflying and it provides a real sense of the planning required, in terms of sites to visit, flight times and, of course, the weather. My favourite parts were those where the author conveys a real sense of enthusiasm when coming across a new species for the first time; the photography bias is put to one side as the author is besotted by his new found hobby. This enthusiasm has clearly rubbed off since he has led a good number of butterfly walks and undertaken habitat management at sites local to him in Somerset, where the majority of the tale unfolds.

The author seems to have relied on a small number of books to guide his endeavours, most notably David Newland's "Discover Butterflies in Britain" and I wonder if this is why the author mentions Réal's Wood White rather than Cryptic Wood White when referring to the species found in Ireland (outside of The Burren, where Wood White flies). Réal's Wood White was "split" into two species in 2011 and is no longer considered resident in the British Isles.

I also spotted a number of other "rookie" errors. For example, the Brimstone has a single brood (not the two implied), the parasitic fly that is believed to have impacted the Small Tortoiseshell is Sturmia bella (and not Bella sturma), the fourth shedding of a larval skin results in the fifth instar (not the fourth, moults and instars being different concepts) and the Large Heath larva has not been recorded on Blue Moor-grass to the best of my knowledge.

While I could overlook "niggles" such as these, I must admit that the focus on getting a photo would seem to be at the expense of any detail of the author's observations with regard to the behaviour or ecology of the species he has seen. I consider this an opportunity missed and it certainly detracts from what could have been a more interesting tale, the book falling well short of the "captivating story" mentioned on the back cover.

How to Order

The book can be ordered directly from Brambleby Books.