Philip's Guide to Butterflies of Britain and Ireland

by Jeremy Thomas

A Review by Peter Eeles - 22nd June 2007

One of the perks of being the UK Butterflies webmaster is that, now and again, I get sent a complimentary copy of a new book or DVD to review. So you can imagine my delight when I received the latest work from Jeremy Thomas, of Large Blue fame. Jeremy discovered that sustainable Large Blue populations were dependent on a single species of ant and conservation efforts now focus as much on the ant, as they do on the butterfly. Anyway, I digress. The point is - the author has exceptional credentials! I could go on.

Speaking of credentials, it also happens that Jeremy, along with Richard Lewington (in my opinion, the best butterfly and moth artist around), produced one of my favourite butterfly books of all time - The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Unfortunately, this book is now out of print. So how pleased I was to see a new publication from the same team, with Jeremy providing the narrative, and Richard (along with Ken Oliver) the illustrations.

So what is this book? In essence, this book is a field guide to the butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Expect to carry it with you on your excursions. Expect to refer to it when examining your photos after a day's outing. Believe me, it won't disappoint. The book is essentially a significantly revised version of Jeremy's RSNC (Royal Society for Nature Conservation) guide, produced in 1986. It just so happens that I also have this book on my bookshelf and remember constantly referring to it as I grew up in rural Gloucestershire. Of course, the book has been brought up to date in so many ways - distribution, flight times and status have all been revised, for example. In addition, the book contains the most complete description of Réal's Wood White I've seen.

The reason I like Jeremy's works, and the reason I constantly refer back to them, is that they "go deeper" than similar works, and this book is no exception. Despite the "gems of information" to be found on almost every page, I also found this book, like its predecessor, extremely accessible. And this is the uncanny thing - I think this book would appeal to both layman and dedicated amateur alike. I suspect that professional entomologists might discover a gem or two also!

This review wouldn't be complete without some mention of the artwork, given that I've already mentioned that Richard Lewington is one of my favourite artists! Images showing the lifecycle have been produced by Ken Oliver and, unlike the original RSNC guide, now appear in full colour. As usual, Richard Lewington's illustrations are absolutely outstanding, and make an excellent addition to the original publication. Just take a look at the Swallowtail figure below (click on it for a larger image). Richard's work is just stunning - as simple as that.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a field guide to the butterflies of Britain and Ireland, especially keen amateurs that want more detailed information than that found in most ID guides. Enjoy!

Ordering

The book is available from bookstores nationwide or from www.philips-maps.co.uk.

Special offer for visitors to UK Butterflies

UK Butterflies visitors can order Philip's Butterflies of Britain and Ireland at the special price of £7.99 with free p&p (RRP £9.99). For credit card orders, please call Littlehampton Book Services on 01903 828 503 quoting reference PH014.