Transformations
BUTTERFLY EMERGENCY
Red lists include several animal classifications - but Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) numbers on them are mind blowing.
The IUCN's latest Red List notes over 40 UK moth and butterfly species facing possible extinction 'in the near future'. With only 62 known native species in the entire British Isles, that's pretty startling odds.
Similarly, the Butterfly Conservation Trust's Butterfly Count recorded a 50% drop in numbers between 2023 and 2024 - that's half the UK population gone in one year! (Over 9000 of 2024's contributors reported zero butterfly sightings throughout the whole counting period!). These were the worst recorded results since the annual Butterfly Count began 10 years ago, prompting the BCT to declare an official 'Butterfly Emergency'.
WHY ARE LEPIDOPTERA SO IMPORTANT?
Like for like, night pollinating moths are estimated to be more effective pollinators than bees!
Some collect and distribute pollen using their feet to collect and drop, others utilise their proboscises, (long, coiled tongues). And although dispersal by butterfly is more localised than say, wind or water methods, every lepidoptera pollination makes direct, focused contact with each host plant - so is far more accurate. So they're vital companions for food crops like seed oils, apples, beans, hazelnuts, tomatoes and blackcurrants - around 1/3 of UK-grown food crops in all!
They're also key indicator species, so help us monitor the general health of our environment - especially since they're (gulp!) excellent food sources for other 'at risk' species, like toads, insectivorous birds, and hedgehogs.
And it goes without saying that they add undeniable beauty to our landscapes.
MAKING BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS IN SILVER
Including silver Lepidoptera in my collection was a given - but with so many 'at risk' species, choosing which ones to make was a bit overwhelming.
It's unwise to judge any animal's worth purely on aesthetics, so it came down to geography: I picked three species that were once common in my home county of Nottinghamshire, but are fast disappearing - the Wood White, V-moth, and Grizzled Skipper Butterfly. (You can find out more about these, and all my chosen creatures on their individual product pages).
Each hand-crafted design is in oxidised, recycled sterling silver, and is deliberately simple and easy to wear with any outfit, so you can always look great showing your support. And each one is produced in a way that's kind to the environment, so you can be confident you aren't wearing anything that's negatively impacting them 'IRL'.
HOW TO HELP OUT BUTTERFLIES
There are lots of things you can do to help these winged wonders:
* Research Lepidoptera populations in your area to help protect their habitats.
* Transform your garden, schoolyard or humble herb pot into a paradise for tired, hungry, or egg-laden butterflies! Plant/leave - flowers and scrubby patches for them to rest or snack on. Honeysuckle, buddleia, coneflowers, nettles, and knapweeds, and night-scented flowers like tobacco plants and jasmines for after-hours pollinators, will all do the trick!
* Shallow areas and easy-grip stones in water features creates safer perches and easy escape routes while drinking and resting.
* Keep their shelter and feeding spots out of predators' reach (e.g. away from bird tables) so they can enjoy these spaces unhindered.
* Over-planting, or having sacrificial veggie crops feeds hungry caterpillars without tears! (My entire brassica plot fell to a cabbage white onslaught this year and - honestly - it made me so happy to see 'em wigglin'!)
* Join the Butterfly Conservation Trust annual Butterfly Count and be a citizen scientist!
* Butterflies' biggest threat is habitat loss - but vegan diets require only a fraction of the land and resources that animal agriculture does (and would remain the case, even if the entire world went plant based!). So if you can, going vegan will mean you're directly protecting butterflies' habitats.
*And finally, wearing my latest Lepidoptera-inspired pieces will get that vital conservation conversation started in the most stylish way imaginable!
Shop your inner Peacock!
