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Saving swallowtail and birdwing butterflies

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You are here: Home / Swallowtail Limerick Day
Edward Lear was fond of butterflies, which figured in his Illustrated Nonsense Alphabet (above). Beware however, the poem illustrated is not in the form of a limerick!

Swallowtail Limerick Day

As World Swallowtail Day 2020 approaches, we may not be able to get out into the field to visit our favourite nature reserve or butterfly garden, but we can still celebrate the beauty and diversity of swallowtails and have some fun at the same time. Poems are a good way to do this, so let’s support National Limerick Day and have a go at writing a limerick about swallowtails!

Observed annually on 12th May, National Limerick Day celebrates the birthday of English artist, author and poet Edward Lear (1812 – 1888).  Lear is best known for writing amusing literary nonsense. His limericks became popular when he published his “Book of Nonsense” in 1846.

A limerick is a short nonsense poem. There are just five lines; the first two rhyme with the fifth line and the third and fourth rhyme together. 

But the Limerick also has a particular rhythm, which can be tricky to capture!

Why not have a go at a five-line limerick yourself?

To get the ball rolling our Chairman, Mark Collins, has had a go at a limerick about the world’s largest butterfly! We’re sure you can do better!

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

Lord Rothschild, lately of Tring,
Achieved a remarkable thing;
He sent Albert Meek
Up river and creek
For Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing!

World Swallowtail Day is coming up on 14th June and we will compile an anthology of your work on our website. Please send your contributions to our Editor for the event, Richard Harrington at richard@royensoc.co.uk.

Richard, who is Editor of the Royal Entomological Society’s journal Antenna, is himself a celebrated entomological poet with a popular book of poems about British butterflies, “The Butterfly Collection” – see details below.

“The Butterfly Collection: a poem for every British butterfly” Published by Brambleby Books, 2018. Available from Amazon, Waterstones, Brambleby Books etc.

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    Latest News

    Richard Bennett joins SBBT as Honorary Advisor on Captive Breeding

    20th July 2021

    Richard has bred butterflies for 55 years, starting in West Yorkshire and now in Watamu, Kenya. A zoologist trained at Oxford, for 30 years he has owned a butterfly farm supplying live exhibitions in USA and UK. His insight and knowledge of captive breeding will be key to the success of SBBT’s conservation projects.

    Richard Markham joins SBBT as Honorary Coordinator on the Natewa Swallowtail

    14th July 2021

    SBBT is delighted to welcome Richard as Honorary Coordinator for Natewa Swallowtail studies in Fiji, where he is closely involved with our project with NatureFiji Marequeti-Viti to conserve and breed Papilio natewa,  a very rare species discovered only in 2017. Richard is the Director of Kokomana Pte Ltd., a cocoa plantation and chocolate company based […]

    “Saving Swallowtails” Conference Now Available Online

    30th June 2021

    On 12 June 2021 SBBT held a very successful online videoconference on “Saving Swallowtails”. Fourteen presentations highlighted the most advanced swallowtail conservation projects in the world, ranging from Florida, Jamaica, Brazil and Kenya to the UK, Italy, Singapore, Australia, PNG and Fiji. These presentations are now freely available to download from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdB29sTt1KFJPc76X2PfEjg/playlists

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    OUR APPEAL

    Swallowtails and birdwings are beautiful and graceful butterflies – who wouldn’t love to see them dancing in the sunlight or sipping nectar from wildflowers? But many species are under threat from agriculture, forestry and climate change. We have ideas, enthusiasm and a vision for the future. Will you help us to achieve our goals?

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    What We Do

    We do four things to help swallowtails and birdwings: we raise financial resources; convene networks and partnerships; catalyse action, and provide scientific and technical support.

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    Send an email to info@sbbt.org.uk, or post a letter to SBBT, c/o Hines Harvey Woods, Queens Head House, The Street, Acle, Norwich NR13 3DY, UK

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