A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of Britain & Northern Europe is an easy-to-use, fully comprehensive guide to the 159 butterfly species found in Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is perfect for amateur naturalists. High-quality photographs are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include common and scientific name, wingspan, distribution and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers living with butterflies, anatomy, behaviour, enemies and friends, ecology, updated distribution details and conservation information.
Ted Benton is a professor emeritus in Sociology at the University of Essex, UK. His academic work has focused on integrating environmental issues into social scientific theory, and he is a long-time environmental activist. Since childhood, he has been a field-naturalist with a strong interest in insects. He has travelled throughout Europe over the past 35 years studying and photographing butterflies in their natural habitats. In addition to his academic publications, he has authored or co-authored seven books on natural history, including two award-winning volumes in the New Naturalist series (Bumblebees (2006) and Grasshoppers & Crickets (2012). His photographs of European butterflies have appeared in numerous publications, and he is the author (with artist Tim Bernhard) of The Easy Butterfly Guide (Aurum 2006).
Review of the first edition:
"[...] Practically all of the species that occur in London and Britain are covered. This book is a useful addition to those with an interest in the butterflies of Britain, northern Europe and of Europe in general."
– Leslie Williams, The London Naturalist 97, 2018