My primary hobby is reading, always has been and always will be. Any non-fiction is often associated with other interests and hence I’ve been reading books on various natural history topics recently to help build up a knowledge base that can aid me when I can go out into the field. The books I’ve been reading are not only the essential field guides that will help me identify what I see, but I’ve also been reading some that fall into the, currently hip, category of nature writing.

Introduction
In recent years there has been an explosion in books with nature seen from the personal perspective of the writer. Of course this type of book has been around at least since Henry Thoreau’s Walden, so is nothing new, but the sheer number since around 2003 has been astonishing. Usually the author goes on a journey of self discovery while at the same time offering the reader insights into the complex nature of the natural world. This can be done through a literal journey (think A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (1998)) to focusing on one animal (for example the award-winning H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (2014)).

The Butterfly Isles is Patrick Barkham’s first novel. He has since gone on to write Badgerlands (2013) and Coastlines (2015), all of which fit nicely into the category of nature writing. I should say, I’ve not read any of his other work, but am keen to read Badgerlands.

The Butterfly Isles covers Barkham’s attempt to see all 59 butterfly species in Great Britain during the spring and summer of 2009. The book is written in a reasonably chronological order. It focuses on various species as he spots them flying in their habitats and also covers Barkham’s own fascination with butterflies that he developed through his father’s keen interest in them.

Comments
My main reason for reading this book is that I wanted to get a feel for butterfly behaviour. I’ve only been looking for butterflies since this past April and I just record what I come across on my walks through the fields here, not really making much of an effort to find out where there might be some special areas to see rare species. I wanted to know how a butterfly aficionado goes about doing such things.

Well, Barkham had not really been active with regards to butterflies when he wrote the book. His knowledge was mostly based on his past forays with his father. Hence he calls in the help of Butterfly Conservation members across the UK (something I cannot quite do, nothing much in the vein of butterfly conservation here in Cantabria). Barkham should count himself lucky in that respect.

Anyway, some great things about the book is that for many species Barkham does cover quite a few interesting details, about how the name came about, how the species has managed to survive in the UK through the butterfly hunting ages etc. There’s also a map showing locations, an extensive appendix that includes directions to specific sites, web sites, a bibliography, a good index etc. I would say this is critical in this type of book so you can go back for specific information at later stages after your read the book and want to go spot some of the species covered.

Barkham’s manner of writing is also quite engaging. It is clear he is passionate and that pulls you through the book, though it probably does help that I’m interested in butterflies.

There are 3 little nitpicky negative points to the book:
– The stuff about the relationship with his girlfriend (Lisa) does not really add much at all, if anything. Sure butterfly watchers are geeks and it can become an obsession to go out searching for new species, but Barkham gives ample evidence of this without the need to drag us into his personal life … I actually started to get irritated at his (in my opinion) selfish girlfriend … obviously you don’t get the whole story and it cannot have been that bad as they get together, marry and have kids (this last is a deduction and not specifically in the book).
– At one point he’s writing away mentioning the Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) and I think … hold on a sec., he hasn’t given any type of intro etc. to that species and here he’s glossing over it like it is nothing and he’s seen millions. About 100 pages later he has a couple of paragraphs that go back in time and then you realise that he then describes seeing this butterfly for the first time in 2009 and thus checking it off his list. The rest of the book is in reasonable chronological order, why not here? The passage later does not fit in the story well at that point so why not leave it in previously? Dramatic effect?
– The Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) hardly gets two lines when Barkham first spots one and never gets a good introduction … they may be common in the UK but it is one of the species that I’m aching to see here! There are tantalising hints about what I might look for, how it flies, the habitat you can find one in etc. but I was hoping for more.

Anyway, apart from the 3 (personal nitpicky) points this book is pretty good and quite a fun read. As I said before, I’m keen to read Badgerlands now and his other books (Coasts and the upcoming Islands) would be a good read at some point in the future.
I can recommend The Butterfly Isles to anyone living in the UK (learn something about your countryside and what lives in it) or someone who may be interested in learning about the natural world around them, and not only about butterflies but how the views of that natural world have evolved over time.

The Edition
Title: The Butterfly Isles: A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals
Author: Patrick Barkham
Publisher: Granata Books
Year: 2010, paperback 2011
Edition: Paperback, first edition, 3rd printing, 372 pages
Additional Info: Line drawings by Helen Macdonald.

Further Reading
– Patrick Barkham is a journalist for The Guardian newspaper (UK) and is a regular contributor with pieces on natural history. An overview of his articles.
– Patrick Barkham’s Twitter page.
– Patrick Barkham’s page at Granata Books. Not the most up to date, as the Coasts book is out and he’s working on one called Islands.