Disappearance of Butterflies

Josef Reichholf is an environmental biologist and author who has twice received the German Science Book of the Year prize.

"The Disappearance of Butterflies is in many ways the fulfilment of Reichholf’s entire 50-year career."New Statesman"This is a brilliant, authoritative and iconoclastic challenge to the industrial farming that is destroying insect life. But Josef Reichholf’s lifetime of scrupulous scientific observation of butterflies and moths does not lead to despondency. He identifies overlooked solutions, from discarding fertiliser to embracing disorder and greening cities. And he reveals more of the miraculous biology of butterflies and moths, and their marvellous relationships with a whole web of life – including us."Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterly Isles “This engaging book, based on personal observations of the author and a broad reading of the literature, celebrates the wonderful diversity of butterflies and moths, and laments their ongoing decline in response to loss of natural habitat and intense agricultural practices. Reichholf introduces the reader to the general biology of Lepidoptera, as well as highlighting the special adaptations of some groups to their particular, and sometimes peculiar, ways of life. The second part of the book addresses the decline of butterflies and moths, why this should matter to us, and what we can do about it. Among its surprises are the roles of urban areas as refuges for some species. Reichholf makes the case that diversity is important and worth conserving, both for the functioning of the natural environment and for the pleasure we humans derive from nature.”Robert E. Ricklefs, University of Missouri-St. Louis“The beauty, individuality and unique characteristics of butterflies and moths are brought to life in the first half of this authoritative book. The pages filled with a lifetime of personal experiences, scientific research and case studies. But it is the second half that really captured my imagination. Addressing the devastating decline of lepidoptera, Reichholf outlines why this should matter to us and what we can do about it. With striking insight into why over fertilisation, industrial agriculture and habitat degradation are crippling for biodiversity, the author offers hope through a range of solutions.”Lindsey Chapman, Discover Wildlife"Fascinating"Visions for Sustainability“Eloquent, detailed, expertly organized and presented, The Disappearance of Butterflies is a definitive study that will have immense value to students, scientists, and the general public alike.”Midwest Book Review“The Disappearance of Butterflies is an important creation. It is partly a poignant catalogue of loss, and partly a celebration of the wonder of butterflies and moths.”The London Naturalist“An important book”Antenna

• Foreword AcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: The Biodiversity of LepidopteraA Review of 50 Years of Butterfly and Moth ResearchInsects fly towards UV lightUrban Lepidoptera: more common than expectedDeath’s head hawk-moth: a guest that can barely live with us anymoreThe Fascinating Life of Aquatic MothsEvenings at the pondThe hidden lives of the little nymphsHow the caterpillar breathes under waterUp and away in an air balloonThe advantages of living in waterA place to live or an ‘ecological niche’The destruction of the biotopes of the little nymphsThe Benefits of Being Attracted to LightLike moths to a flameThe red blindness of butterfliesThe Strange Behaviour of the Purple EmperorButterflies on drugsPsychedelics in the insect kingdomThe Nettle-feeding Lepidoptera: An Instructive CommunityNettles: indicators of overfertilizationNettles escape defoliationMaize: damaged beyond repairCabbage whites: parasites and protectionThe mass flight of the map butterfly: singularities in the realm of the butterfliesDoes climate change affect the seasonal morphs of the map butterfly?Nature is too diverse for simple generalizationsThe Great Migrations of the ButterfliesThe migratory flights of the painted ladiesSmall tortoiseshells as travellersButterfly invasionsPoisonous Butterflies and Moths: From the Cabbage White to the Six-spot BurnetCabbage whites on the Dalmatian coastWhenever it rains in the desert …Which factors affect the reproduction of butterflies, and when?Useful modelsThe need to go slowPoison in the bodyThe Secret Life of Small Ermine MothsThe bird-cherry, a tree of the riparian woodsToxins in bird-cherriesThe life history of the caterpillars of the ermine mothHelpful hungry caterpillarsBetween parasitism and population explosionLonger-term population cyclesCoppice management and its consequencesGenerations and multiyear cycles of ermine mothsParasitoids on other ermine mothsThe lifecycles of butterflies and mothsHardy Winter MothsLife at the edge of winterThe mastery of seasonal nichesWhy female winter moths do not need wingsDeforestation, poison and the decline of the codling moth and the winter mothThe common quaker moth in early springBrimstones: The First Spring ButterfliesButterfly attacksThe problem with early flightMüllerian mimicryThe critical factor of spring weather‘Balance’ in naturePart II: The Disappearance of LepidopteraAssessing the Abundance and Occurrence of Butterflies: A Major ChallengeStarting with 1,000 wattsHow to successfully attract moths to lightChange and continuityAll praise to those who helped us with identification problemsButterfly and Moth NamesThe Decline of Moths and ButterfliesThe village outskirts and the open fieldsFindings in the riparian woodsThe findings from MunichThe decline in species diversityWarm summers and what they mean for the moths and butterfliesThe Metropolis: The End of Nature or Salvation of Species Diversity?The advantage of structureMonocultures produce pestsCities as islands of warmthOverfertilized, poisoned landNature-friendly citiesThe Inhospitality of the CountrysideFrom idyll to slurryMonocultures and changes to the ground-level microclimateThe cooling of fields and forestsIncreased growth reduces the abundance of moths and butterflies in the riparian woodsBoundary ridges in the fields and meadows: a supportive network‘Infilling’ and ‘compensating areas’The ‘nutritional condition’ of the landscapeThe disappearance of the cockchafersThe turning point for our farmers: the 1970sThe Krefeld StudyA subsidy system without an exit mechanismNature conservation and nature enthusiastsThe Devastating Effect of Communal Maintenance MeasuresThe End of the Night: The Role of Light PollutionSummary: A Cluster of FactorsThe Disappearance of Moths and Butterflies and Its ConsequencesWhat We Can Do about the Disappearance of Moths and butterfliesThe Beauty of Moths and ButterfliesTwo Findings in Place of an EpilogueSelect BibliographyIndex