www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

A former UKB regular, Paul Wetton, passed away peacefully on Saturday, following a long battle with cancer. Most of us will remember him from his videography, where he excelled, producing several DVDs. RIP Paul. Here he is in action in Switzerland.
Cheers,

- Pete

I heard this awful news on Monday and am very upset by Paul's passing.

I first corresponded with him over ten years ago regarding the site for the Lady's Slipper orchid in Cumbria, and two years ago I spent a week with Paul and his partner in the Montes Universales region in Spain where he proved to be excellent company and, like me, enjoyed his food and wine and had a low tolerance for fools.

He and Helen were sat beside me every day in the front of the minibus, and he was interesting to listen to and even more interesting to watch as he quietly went about filming with his video equipment whilst everybody else charged about with their cameras.

I knew he'd been very ill some while prior to this trip but he appeared to be over the worst although clearly these conditions can come back to bite you at any time, as has proved to be the case.

He can't have been much older than me so it is devastating that someone so relatively young and with such an enthusiasm for butterflies and the wider environment has left us.

RIP. He will be sadly missed.

Very sad news indeed. I didn’t meet him, but felt I knew him a little having corresponded several times on the subject of his excellent trip DVDs.

I still watch them regularly in preparation for time abroad and will continue to do so - a really superb resource.

I had assumed I would meet him on a trip soon.

By all accounts a great guy and a real loss to the field.

It was a privilege to know Paul and spend time butterflying with him in Switzerland. The shot below is from 2011, when Pete and a group of UK Butterflyers came out to visit. Paul had already been here some time. I had taken him on long treks and up precipitous alpine slopes, and while I carried a tiny Canon compact, he carried many tens of kilos of amazing video and still equipment. He had the strength of an ox and the gentleness of a puppy. I am terribly sorry to hear of his death.


(Paul is third from the left)

Guy

I only came across Paul for the first time on the 2019 Monte Universales trip David mentions above. Straight away his quiet but enthusiastic knowledge about all in the natural world, not just butterflies, came across. At the end of the trip we agreed to meet up again, and indeed we did in late January 2020, just before Covid hit. We made plans to do a joint trip to Cyprus that summer, but clearly that wasn't possible, and I know he was very jealous that I made it away to Austria.

I last spoke to him in spring this year, when we were considering plans for summer 2021. Speaking to him then, it was clear his cancer was well advanced, and he wasn't making any plans for the summer. Really sorry to hear the sadly inevitable news of his death. I highly recommend his DVDs, and through them, his voice and his expertise and knowledge will live on.

I met Paul once at Strumpshaw in the Doctor's 'Swallowtail' garden. There were three butterflies over one particular flower patch.

I said - innocently: "Wow. Three in a bed! Never had that before."

To which Paul replied: "Speak for yourself Jack!"

Perhaps even funnier were the two ladies who had seemed incredibly serious until that moment - but they then burst into giggles.

Jack