Insects form the largest group of creatures in the Animal Kingdom and thus we cannot even begin to scratch the surface in this guide. However, we can point you in the direction of a few particular treats to be had on our beautiful little Island.

So far there have been about 50 species of butterfly discovered on the Isle of Wight and in addition to the 10 or so considered to be nationally rare is the Island's unique specialty the Glanville Fritillary, which is found nowhere else in the British Isles. There is also the beautiful Adonis Blue, locally frequent on our chalk downs but rapidly declining across the country over the past 50 years due to their habitat (grasslands with short vegetation) disappearing or becoming coarse and shady through a lack of grazing.

In addition to the many pretty butterflies we must not overlook the some 1,278 species of moth known to the Island. Several species are particularly associated with the Island including the Isle of Wight Wave Moth, Blair's Wainscot, Blair's Mocha and the Reddish Buff.

Page 1 of 2 : Next | View Other Species