The “beast from the east” and chilly February and March may also have helped the survival of eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises, which rot or are parasitised in mild winters. The Butterfly Summer is actually the first book by Harriet Evans I’ve read, which is quite weird, but I can’t change it. Anyway, let’s start… Letting part of your garden go wild, with nettles, thistles, grasses and other “weeds”, will provide a place for caterpillars to feed and pupate, ensuring you have a new generation of butterflies later on

It was a vintage year for the “cabbage whites”, with large whites up by 118%, small whites increasing by 155% and green-veined whites rising by 63%. In the UK there are currently 57 resident species of butterfly and two regular migrants. Of these, it is estimated that 76% have declined in abundance, occurrence or both over the past 40 years. Almost all of these losses can be attributed to man-made changes such as habitat destruction and pollution, along with larger patterns of weather and climate change. The mixed weather this year has helped as there has been an abundance of green food plants available for caterpillars, and plenty of nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies. However, while the number of butterflies recorded this summer has been the highest since 2019, the longer-term trends show worrying declines for some of the UK’s most common butterfly species.” Here’s a sad poem which draws on the parallel between a young girl and a butterfly developing from its chrysalis. But there were 161,987 gatekeepers counted in 2019, and yet it was only the fourth most common butterfly that year.Like the sun glinting on a butterfly's wing, there's both light and darkness in Anne-Marie Conway's outstanding novel...[ Butterfly Summer] gets to the heart of childhood dilemmas whilst unravelling mysteries from the past. A terrific read for youngsters aged nine and over' - Lancashire Evening Post Dr Richard Fox, head of science for Butterfly Conservation, said: “In general, warm, sunny weather is good for butterflies as they can be active, finding food, mating and laying eggs. It is the third year in a row that the count has recorded its lowest-ever average abundance, a worrying sign that once-common flying insects are continuing to disappear from Britain. This is a really unusual book – haunting and poignant in turn and a real trail to find out the truth of the past. I admit I found the idea intriguing from the beginning – like how one butterfly flapping its wings can change things and how we over the years try to make things right, change the course of events and the things we do to keep family together. He also notes that the recent mass appearance of painted ladies – recalling the extraordinary summer of 2009, when tens of millions of these butterflies could be seen throughout the UK – has absolutely nothing to do with the weather here in Britain. Instead, it indicates that conditions were favourable on the fringes of the Sahara in Morocco, where these butterflies came from.

Harriet Evans really “brings you home” with this book. The writing is full of emotions, depth and mystery. I loved how vividly Harriet described all the places, unfortunately I didn’t feel the same with the story. It was quite clear in the end, but the way to get there was complicated and stony. The idea behind it all is fab and I wish I was more gripped, but something was missing for me. I think clearer connections and a flowing storyline would have helped for me. I guess that could be quite different for other readers, but that’s how I felt.Zoe Randle, senior surveys officer for Butterfly Conservation, said: “It is really quite worrying, particularly because we had such good weather this summer across most of the UK, with above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall, particularly in July. We need to do a lot more to protect and restore habitats for these widespread species.” This book tells the story of Nina Parr and especially the young woman discovering part of her family she has never known. What happened in the past and why is it all connected to Keepsake a mysterious house in Cornwall?! UT all starts when Nina meets a woman she doesn’t know in the library. That woman knows her and she wants Nina to discover her family’s legacy. Nina never knew her dad George Parr, who died on a jungle expedition. In addition to that she is divorced already, married at 19 and is now still friends with Sebastian. Harriet Evans then takes us through several generations of the Parr family and expertly intertwines these characters together even though all the female members of the family were quite different their stories were authentic and characters believable. After meeting the present day Nina we are introduced to her ancestor Lady Nina who has a daughter Charlotte the product of a union between Nina and King Charles II when he was sheltering from the Roundheads he hid at Keepsake. He was enchanted with the butterfly garden that Nina had cultivated. When he hears he has a daughter he sends Nina a diamond brooch shaped like a butterfly which Charlotte wears and gives to her own daughter before she dies. The King also decrees that Keepsake be given to his daughter Charlotte and every daughter born there. On the broach is inscribed 'What's loved is never lost'.