A very British butterfly: spectacular swallowtail is built for capricious summers

Now only found on the Norfolk Broads, Papilio machaon britannicus is in trouble as its breeding habitat is lostInvertebrate of the year 2024: all hail Earth's spineless heroesNominate your UK invertebrate species of the yearThe swallowtail is Britain's largest and most spectacular butterfly. Most British butterflies are adapted to surviving gruelling, cold, wet, capricious summers, which is why many of them are small and brown.But with tigerish stripes, dashes of iridescent blue and red, and dapper tails, this magnificent animal looks like it escaped from a tropical butterfly house. Continue reading...