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 […]
Butterflies declining at an alarming rate across United States
A recently conducted assessment of butterfly trends across the contiguous United States from 2000 to 2020 found declines at every scale: reductions in total numbers of butterflies, falling species richness, and large decreases in many individual species.
SBBT award grant to filmmaker to highlight the Glories of Bhutan
In August 2023, the Swallowtail & Birdwing Butterfly Trust provided a grant to wildlife documentary maker, Sonam Dorji, to produce a short film on the Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii) and Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis ludlowi). Sonam, who is based in Bhutan, discovered a site in 2020 where both species fly in the same location, something […]
