hi
My copy of Discover Butterflies in Britain by D.Newland finally turned up this morning!!! It is certainly an interesting read,Can't wait till next year to visit some of the sites mentioned.
Would recommend it to anyone with an interest in butterflies , Get those pics entered in the competition its well worth it
regards
mark
d.newland book
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Pete Eeles
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Couldn't agree more. I spent part of the bank holiday weekend reading it cover-to-cover and will be posting a review in due course. A sneak preview is below.
Cheers,
- Pete
The butterflies of Britain must be one of the most-studied groups of any animal species on the planet. Indeed, the first comprehensive tome that included the subject of British butterflies, “The Aurelian” by Moses Harris, was published in 1766. Since then, many classic works have been produced, including those by Frederick Frohawk, Richard South, and Maitland Emmet & John Heath. The latest classic work would include the Millenium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland by Jim Asher, Martin Warren, Richard Fox, Paul Harding, Gail Jeffcoate and Stephen Jeffcoate.
Given this heritage, I embarked upon this review with some trepidation – surely there is very little that could possibly be left to write that would appeal to the layman! How wrong I was. “Discover Butterflies in Britain” by David E. Newland, quite frankly, fills a gap that I didn’t appreciate existed – until I read this book.
And what a wonderful book it is. With comprehensive details of 66 prime butterfly sites scattered throughout the UK, the author has done a wonderful job of leading the reader through his travels over the years. Although many of my favourite sites are covered, including such famous locations as Arnside Knott, Bentley Wood, Catfield Fen, Glasdrum Wood, Martin Down and Noar Hill, there are many sites that remain undiscovered for me. For someone who has been undertaking similar pursuits for some time, this came as a very pleasant surprise and I look forward to 2007 when I can go visit these sites!
Each site is described in detail, and not just from the perspective of the butterflies to be found there; in most cases, the author touches on the history of each site (providing fascinating insights into the origins of the site), its geology, and the flora to be found. The descriptions are augmented with the author’s own photos from each site. And, of course, the site itself is described in sufficient detail to find the target species – down to the nearest path or tree in some cases! A map of each site is also included, together with an extensive list of the species to be found at each site. Each site has 2 pages dedicated to it. A nice touch to the sites pages are a number of poems, written by the author’s wife, Tricia.
In addition to the site information, the book also includes a one-page summary of each species, and provides a nice link back to the sites where each species can be seen. The species descriptions are sprinkled with the author’s own observations which brings a potentially lacklustre offering to life! Again, all of the photos are the author’s own.
The book concludes with links to other information sources, including book references and website addresses.
This is a high-quality book in terms of both content, layout and final product. At 224 pages I’m absolutely astounded, when compared with other works of a similar quality, that it is only retailing at £19.95. Furthermore, a donation will be made to the Butterfly Conservation charity for every book sold.
In summary, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It fills a gap, is value-for-money, and rightly deserves a place on my bookshelf alongside the likes of Frohawk and South.
Cheers,
- Pete
The butterflies of Britain must be one of the most-studied groups of any animal species on the planet. Indeed, the first comprehensive tome that included the subject of British butterflies, “The Aurelian” by Moses Harris, was published in 1766. Since then, many classic works have been produced, including those by Frederick Frohawk, Richard South, and Maitland Emmet & John Heath. The latest classic work would include the Millenium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland by Jim Asher, Martin Warren, Richard Fox, Paul Harding, Gail Jeffcoate and Stephen Jeffcoate.
Given this heritage, I embarked upon this review with some trepidation – surely there is very little that could possibly be left to write that would appeal to the layman! How wrong I was. “Discover Butterflies in Britain” by David E. Newland, quite frankly, fills a gap that I didn’t appreciate existed – until I read this book.
And what a wonderful book it is. With comprehensive details of 66 prime butterfly sites scattered throughout the UK, the author has done a wonderful job of leading the reader through his travels over the years. Although many of my favourite sites are covered, including such famous locations as Arnside Knott, Bentley Wood, Catfield Fen, Glasdrum Wood, Martin Down and Noar Hill, there are many sites that remain undiscovered for me. For someone who has been undertaking similar pursuits for some time, this came as a very pleasant surprise and I look forward to 2007 when I can go visit these sites!
Each site is described in detail, and not just from the perspective of the butterflies to be found there; in most cases, the author touches on the history of each site (providing fascinating insights into the origins of the site), its geology, and the flora to be found. The descriptions are augmented with the author’s own photos from each site. And, of course, the site itself is described in sufficient detail to find the target species – down to the nearest path or tree in some cases! A map of each site is also included, together with an extensive list of the species to be found at each site. Each site has 2 pages dedicated to it. A nice touch to the sites pages are a number of poems, written by the author’s wife, Tricia.
In addition to the site information, the book also includes a one-page summary of each species, and provides a nice link back to the sites where each species can be seen. The species descriptions are sprinkled with the author’s own observations which brings a potentially lacklustre offering to life! Again, all of the photos are the author’s own.
The book concludes with links to other information sources, including book references and website addresses.
This is a high-quality book in terms of both content, layout and final product. At 224 pages I’m absolutely astounded, when compared with other works of a similar quality, that it is only retailing at £19.95. Furthermore, a donation will be made to the Butterfly Conservation charity for every book sold.
In summary, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It fills a gap, is value-for-money, and rightly deserves a place on my bookshelf alongside the likes of Frohawk and South.
