The fold-out identification guide if the first formal guide to detail all 19 regularly occurring Manx butterflies, including resident and migratory species such as Painted Ladies and Red Admirals. The guide also includes some colourful day flying moths which could be confused as butterflies, including the Hummingbird Hawkmoth, which is annually reported to MWT as the diminutive American bird!
Although the Island only supports fewer than two dozen species of butterfly, we boast many hundreds of species of moth, with some of the most striking day-flying examples being beautifully illustrated within the guide at life-size by the esteemed wildlife artist Richard Lewington.
Excitingly, thanks to the financial and linguistic assistance of Culture Vannin, the guide is fully bilingual in both Manx and English. The guide also contains biological data specific to the Isle of Man, such as local distribution, flight times and habitat preference based on local expertise and over 150,000 local records. The guide also includes key natural history notes, including the scientific name, number of broods and the favoured food plants of the caterpillars for each species. For beginners, the lifecycle of butterflies and moths is outlined, highlighting the four life stages from egg to caterpillar, then chrysalis and finally to adult.
Until now, the only fold-out guides available locally all outlined a total of 60 species of butterfly which can be found across Britain and Ireland, with the majority of these not being found locally. This has often led to confusion, frustration and the occasional misidentification of species when reported for inclusion in the Manx biological records database.
Free copies of the guides will shortly be made available to all Manx schools and public libraries, along with all scout and guide groups. Copies are also available for anyone to buy in the MWT Gift Shop in Market Place, Peel and the MWT Douglas Sea Terminal Shop.
