The FSC Butterflies guide features all 60 wild butterflies found in Britain and Ireland.

Designed for speedy butterfly identification in the field, it includes beautiful colour paintings, shown at life-size, by acclaimed artist Richard Lewington. Both upper wings and under wings are illustrated, so you can identify butterflies in flight and at rest. Similar looking butterflies are close to each other for easy comparison.

As well as the paintings, the reverse side of the Butterflies guide includes concise identification notes for each species. This text covers the key characters to look out for, plus flight period, habitat and range. Also indicated are those species which now have legal protection in the UK.

Making a butterflies list is a great first step into wildlife identification. Some species are instantly recognisable. But for others you might need to take a closer look. Is that a Small White or a Large White eating your cabbages? Is that a Common Blue or a Holly Blue fluttering along the hedge? With experience you can guess Ringlet or Speckled Wood from flight pattern alone. The FSC Butterflies guide can help!

Even beginners should find 5-10 butterflies in a typical garden in the summer. But if you visit woodland, grassy meadows or limestone hills, you could find many more. From Comma to Clouded Yellow, from Painted Lady to Purple Emperor, how many butterfly species can you identify with the guide this year?

Our butterfly identification guide covers all 60 species that you are likely to see. Another 10 or so species occur, but they are very scarce, so you are not likely to see them.