Charity book reveals best places to spot butterflies in Worcestershire

Titled Butterflies of the West Midlands, the book has been published by the West Midlands branch of Butterfly Conservation (BC) and includes information about species in the Malvern Hills, Grafton Wood and the Wyre Forest.

It is the result of two years of hard work by the editorial team, who have drawn from a database of almost half a million records.

Ian Duncan, who co-ordinated the publication of the book on behalf of West Midlands BC, said: "By publishing this book we hope to raise awareness of the problems facing many of our butterflies, some of which are continuing to decline.

"We also wanted to show how, by taking effective conservation action, many species can recover and continue to flourish.

"The Pearl and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Wood White, Silver-studded Blue and Brown Hairstreak are all examples of where conservation effort in different parts of the region has made a huge difference."

Peter Seal, chair of West Midlands BC, added: "The book is a real team effort and could not have been produced without help from many quarters. We would like to particularly thank those local companies and individuals who helped us to raise the necessary funding required for publication.

"West Midlands Butterfly Conservation has a terrific record of working with other wildlife organisations to conserve declining species and we hope that the book will encourage more people to help us in our efforts and also become members of Butterfly Conservation."

Each of the 40 species in the book is illustrated with helpful tips on how to identify them; and there are 25 specially designed butterfly walks for those hoping to see some of the harder to find species.

All proceeds from the sales will help conserve butterflies and moths in the West Midlands.

Copies of the book can be ordered online at naturebureau.co.uk/bookshop.

For more information about Butterfly Conservation visit westmidlands-butterflies.org.uk.