Butterflies

Butterflies come in every colour of the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black and white. But their vibrant wings aren't just beautiful, they give each butterfly a special power too.

Over the years, butterflies' wings have brightened, dulled and transformed as they adapt to their ever-changing environments, helping them survive and thrive through everything from the industrial revolution to the climate crisis. Colours help butterflies camouflage and stay safe in their surroundings, making them disappear amongst vibrant flower petals and invisible against bronze tree trunks. Intricate patterns on their wings confuse and scare away predators, but they can attract the perfect mate too.

And then there are some butterflies who are not in fact the colour the appear to be at all - instead they are iridescent and simply reflecting the light. In this beautifully illustrated book, you'll discover hundreds of different coloured and patterned butterflies from around the world and what makes them so special. You'll also learn about butterfly life cycles, their sense of smell, taste and sight, flight and migration, as well as what butterflies mean to us and why they're important players in our ecosystem.