Anja Murray: Some easy ways to help ensure we see more butterflies flutter by

Irish butterflies: the biggest losses of butterflies have come about from changes in the general countryside, where wildflower-rich habitats have been eviscerated in favour of highly productive monocultures

Butterflies are stunning creatures. We love to see them flitting about in our gardens, sunning themselves on a leaf of a dappled light of a woodland, and fluttering about over flower-filled habitats. Warm weather in August and September is a super time to see some of the more common butterflies on the wing.

Adult butterflies drink nectar from flowers. But when a butterfly approaches a flower, they see a different pattern than what we see. Butterflies, along with many other insects, can see ultraviolet wavelengths of light. A flower that looks plain pink to us, will often appear to a butterfly with delicate patterns of dark and light colour that we cannot see. Some have special ‘landing strips’ marked in their petals, guiding the incoming pollinators to stores of nectar at the centre of the flower.