Butterflies A Very British Obsession: A Stunning New Film by BBC
Geschreven op 12-12-2010 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Natuur
A chrysalis that looks as if it is an alien spaceship. A peacock butterfly hissing like a snake to frighten a hungry mouse. An astonishingly hirsute mountain ringlet, scurrying through the grass at 2,000ft in the Scottish Highlands. Silver-washed fritillaries duelling high in the sunlit ride of an English woodland.
Extraordinary footage shot by the BBC’s natural history unit over the past 18 months will this week show our native butterflies in a new and surprising light. Butterflies: A Very British Obsession documents some of the eccentric collectors, conservationists and artists who have been inspired by the 59 species of butterfly found in the United Kingdom. But the real stars are, of course, the insects, here shown in slow motion and time-lapse photography as they are transformed from caterpillars smaller than a pin-head into garish and sometimes aggressive butterflies.
Erik van Erne zegt:
17 september 2015 om 07:53 | Permalink
The Big Butterfly Count
The big butterfly count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. Over 44,000 people took part in 2014, counting almost 560,000 individual butterflies and day-flying moths across the UK (see the 2014 results).
Butterflies react very quickly to change in their environment which makes them excellent biodiversity indicators. Butterfly declines are an early warning for other wildlife losses. That’s why counting butterflies can be described as taking the pulse of nature. The count will also assist us in identifying trends in species that will help us plan how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understand the effect of climate change on wildlife.
Erik van Erne zegt:
17 september 2015 om 08:11 | Permalink
British Butterflies by Roo Perkins
All 59 species of butterfly seen in Great Britain and Ireland (Cryptic Wood White in the latter) and a bonus of a Queen of Spain Fritillary. Its a wonderful hobby, has something to do even in winter!