Britain is home to only one native species of Swallowtail – the iconic subspecies the British Swallowtail Papilio machaon britannicus. It is Britain’s largest butterfly and a symbol for its home region, the Norfolk Broads. Unfortunately, this has not protected the species from population decline and habitat restriction. Due to changes in habitat management and significant drying of vast areas of land to […]
The Quest for Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
Artist, naturalist and vet, John Gale, shares his account of his adventures to Papua New Guinea in search of the magnificent Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterfly, the inspiration behind his beautiful Ornithoptera alexandrae print. Three years ago I met up with Charles Dewhurst, SBBT’s first Secretary, who arranged for me to visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) […]
Jamaican Swallowtails under threat
Two species of Swallowtail endemic to Jamaica: The Jamaican Giant Swallowtail or Homerus Swallowtail (Pterourus homerus) and the Blue Kite Swallowtail (Protographium marcellinus) are both in need of additional protection. Two recent papers published in May 2025 in Tropical Lepidoptera Research by Thomas Turner and Vaughan Turland have highlighted the continued threats to these two […]
The Bhutan Glories: An update from Sonam Dorji
Around Shoskom Hill is the habitat where I discovered both Bhutanitis ludlowi and Bhutanitis lidderdalii were present. Aristolochia griffithii, the primary foodplant of the Bhutan Glories, is relatively abundant there and only under direct threat from roaming cattle. The trees are cut down to provide firewood to the nomads. I am educating them on the […]
Featured species: Papilio hornimani
IUCN Red List Conservation Status: Growing Concern? For 60 years, Horniman’s Swallowtail (Papilio hornimani Distant, 1879) was regarded as a monotypic species endemic to various highland forests in what is now north-eastern Tanzania. In 1939 it was reported from the Chyulu Hills, thereby narrowly extending its known range into Kenya. More recently, following Jan Kielland’s […]
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