British Moths and Butterflies - A photographic guide

Chris Manley

With around 2,400 photographs, this is undoubtedly the most comprehensive printed photographic guide to Britain's Lepidoptera to date. The book covers more than 1,400 species, including a creditable 500 or so of the difficult 'micro-moths'. The majority of the photos are Chris's own, but he has also enlisted the aid of many of Britain's most enthusiastic moth photographers to contribute. There are also photos of 74 species of butterfly, and 314 species of larvae, eggs and pupae.

With a guide covering so many species, the text for each one is necessarily concise, but this is no bad thing, and keeps the book to a manageable 'field guide' size. Rather than being the only guide you'll need, I'd say this book should be used as a companion to one of the other, more traditional guides such as Waring or Skinner (or both).

Identifying moths can be a tricky process, and a range of different resources is generally required. There's no single best approach, but often photographs of live insects in their natural environment or resting position can help to clinch that identification that doesn't quite fit 100% with photos of pinned specimens or paintings available elsewhere.

The book is available from the usual outlets, but you can order it directly from Chris using the link below, and Chris will sign it for you if you wish.

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