Butterflies and moths

Our butterfly expert talks about her life, passions and the power of perspectives.

A new species of moth has been discovered 7,000 kilometres from home.

Taking part in the UK’s Big Butterfly Count has been found to reduce anxiety by almost 10%.

Specimens of the hitchhiking insect have been sitting undescribed in the Museum’s collections since 1886. 

The discovery of a new parasitoid wasp could help to save an Endangered Pacific butterfly.

Who's hitting the high notes in the insect orchestra? Despite their small size, they sure know how to make themselves heard.

An insect that can be hazardous to human health is spreading across southeast England.

Our top tips for how to see nocturnal animals as they go about their busy lives after dark. 

While there are currently only two members of the genus Saurona, many more as-yet-undescribed species are thought to exist.

While species focusing on bees produce more floral odours, those focusing on fruit flies make fruitier smells. 

Mass producing the proteins in the saliva could provide a cheap and effective way to break down polyethylene waste. 

Digitising Museum collection leads to rediscovering a moth collected by Richard Owen

While more butterflies are being threatened, the report finds they can recover with our help.

The UK's insect population has fallen sharply as the invertebrates are affected by rising temperatures and fragmented habitats.

In response to a warming world, many species are physically changing their body sizes. 

Air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides can cause as much as a 90% decline in pollinator visits to flowers.

Elusive yellow butterfly from isolated Colombian mountain rediscovered twice.

Over recent weeks there have been plenty of sensational headlines about insects invading our homes and causing the evacuation of schools. 

The moth is famous for its enormous tongue - the longest of any insect.

Pollination is not just the work of honeybees. Meet some of the buzzing, bold and beautiful insects carrying out this critical task.

In a titanic effort spanning many years, a team of butterfly experts have listed the butterflies found in Colombia to date.

They cover an enormous area of the UK and are home to many rare and declining wild plants, insects, amphibians and more.

Put on a butterfly buffet and watch these intriguing insects feeding.

Check out these flamboyant flyers who are challenging moths' drab reputation with style.

Create a colourful caterpillar and grow your own food all in one activity.

Attract bees to your lawn with clover, grow a mini wildflower meadow, add areas of aromatic thyme and more ideas.

Ecologist Sylvia Myers introduces some of our favourite finds and how we monitor the plants and animals present.

Singapore is losing its butterflies as forests decline and building programmes boom.

Adventuring unchaperoned in seventeenth century Suriname, Maria Sibylla Merian blazed a trail for women and science.

Find out how to help urban nature and attract more wildlife to your garden.

The two-year project will help conserve rare plants and invertebrates.

Turning the tide of biodiversity loss is a big job.

Museum wildlife experts share their favourite signs spring is here or on its way.

Crashing numbers will have serious implications on our future.

A display showcasing Queen Alexandra birdwing butterfly specimens is open at the Museum at Tring.

They include new dinosaurs, an ancient wombat and a giant shark.

Scientists are still unsure where the species came from.

Discover how some species effectively use their colourful wings to deter predators.

The Forestry Commission issues annual alerts about toxic oak processionary moth caterpillars in London.

Find out which plants will encourage colourful visitors to your garden.

The arrival of a tiny moth in the Wildlife Garden sparked a scientific search of London.

A special collection of butterfly specimens at the Museum helps tell a tale of extraordinary adventure and scientific insight. 

Living for a week at most, the Madagascan moon moth has a lot to accomplish in its short life.

A stunning species with a disturbing diet: meet the butterflies sipping on human sweat.

Find out how we prepare the tropical butterfly house and keep the hundreds of butterflies soaring.

Dr Ian Kitching explores the 60-million-year evolutionary arms race between moths and bats.

More than 90% of British butterflies emerge earlier in years with a warm spring or summer - potentially too early for the plants they eat.

Scientists have identified a distinctive new species of ringlet butterfly and named it Magneuptychia pax in recognition of the peace process in Colombia, where the butterfly lives.

One caterpillar is thought to be the first recorded self-medicating insect.

They could beat a horse in a race and survive a blizzard.  No challenge is too big for these record-breaking butterflies.

The great orange tip fights for survival by borrowing the outfit of a much deadlier creature.

Newborn humans take years to become adults - but for butterflies, the miraculous process takes just a few weeks.

Drowsy caterpillars are transforming into moths with a cunning skill - producing their own cyanide. 

A one-in-10,000 genetic sensation - discover the stunning split-sex butterflies.

Delve into the dark world of parasitic wasps and discover their grisly takeovers of living caterpillars. 

It looks like bird droppings on a leaf, but don't be fooled: it's a caterpillar in disguise.

Masters of disguise, butterflies can look like animal faces, rolled-up leaves and even snakes. Explore their kaleidoscopic world.

Miniscule moths are using the power of wind to soar over oceans and continents.

The gentle tree nymph has a reputation for being slow and sleepy - but an unexpected toxin lies within its wings.

Discover the microscopic dimensions of the smallest moths on the planet.

For most butterflies, finding a mate to share their short lives with is their most important mission.

One of the goliaths of the insect world, the atlas moth is a gentle giant – but behind every oversized moth is a very hungry caterpillar.

From moths eating their own mothers to carnivorous caterpillars on the rampage, the world of insects isn't always as it seems.

Climate change is having a dramatic effect on the lives of British butterflies - researcher Steve Brooks explains what and why.

The greedy zebra butterfly's protein-rich diet of pollen is fuelling its remarkably long lifespan.

Filling your garden with insects will make your flowerbeds beautiful and support biodiversity. Ecologist Larissa Cooper explains how.

Gleaming in the air, the iridescent blue morpho protects itself from predators using the power of light.

Discover the explorers responsible for the oldest butterfly collection in existence.

Join Dr Blanca Huertas as she travels to remote Colombia to study butterflies and moths.

A new species of tropical butterfly found in a remote region of South America has been named Euptychia attenboroughi, after naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Step behind the scenes of our butterflies and moths collection for tips on how to tell the two apart.

Scientific artwork by Alfred Russel Wallace and Henry Walter Bates - two of the most important nineteenth-century biologists and natural history collectors - is available online for the first time.

Find out why the first known specimen of Queen Alexandra's birdwing has bullet holes in its wings.

Convincing male clothes moths to chase other males is reducing the Museum's pest population.

Digitising our collection is leading to breakthroughs in our understanding of the natural world.

Witness the moment these delicate butterflies emerge from their chrysalises in a time-lapse video.

A beautiful and unique fossil butterfly from a time when the Isle of Wight was a tropical forest.

A new technique for producing cells from butterflies and beetles could pave the way for paint colours that never fade.

Royal visit to the butterfly house provides perfect backdrop for official pictures.

Research using the Museum's Lepidoptera collection has revealed how butterfly species continually evolve to avoid predation.

The owl butterfly's love of fruit juice can land it in trouble. Expert Luke Brown explains why.