www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Non-butterflies - do you know what I mean? Butterflies that look like butterflies but aren't!

Does anyone else share my disappointment when clip art type butterflies are used in articles, web sites or advertisements when an image of one of our beautiful British butterflies could be used to better effect?

I feel the same about images of foreign butterflies if used in inappropriate ways. In recent months I persuaded a local large apple growing enterprise to replace a foreign butterfly (Monarch - I seem to remember) with a photo of a Red Admiral on an apple.

Years back I remember a very well known gardening magazine illustrating an article on gardening for butterflies with - of all things- a photo of a Large Copper! I did not write to them at the time but I intend as I find these non-butterflies or aliens to gently point out that there are British models a-plenty to use.

Is anyone else out there willing to do the same and direct "offenders" to UKbutterflies photos that are available for use.

Lynn wrote: Years back I remember a very well known gardening magazine illustrating an article on gardening for butterflies with - of all things- a photo of a Large Copper! I did not write to them at the time but I intend as I find these non-butterflies or aliens to gently point out that there are British models a-plenty to use.

Hi Lynn,

What do you mean by "Years back"? I don't have it to hand, but I recall a while back going through some old magazines from Butterfly Conservation - the equivalent of the present "Butterfly" magazine they produce, but black and white inside and A5 in size. Probably dated to the mid 80s when I first joined BC. One contained the results of the annual garden butterfly survey run by Margaret Vickery(?), and included a record of a Large Copper. I recall it well because it struck me as so unlikely, and still does, but of course there was the Woodwalton colony at the time, and maybe there are gardens near the fen. I don't know the area.

Perhaps the gardening magazine you saw was at the cutting edge of conservation efforts.

No, I don't think so either.

Simon

Sometimes this does rankle. I remember watching 'Pointless' a few months ago and they had a round on butterflies. The contestants had to name species of UK butterfly and one of the options was 'Cabbage White', FFS!