A NEW guide to butterflies of the Malvern Hills has been published by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation.

The publication follows the good news that last year was a bumper year for our local butterflies with a 75 per cent increase on 2016, making it one of the best years in the past decade.

Even the rarest butterfly, the Malvern Grayling, appeared earlier than ever, and their population increased thanks to hard work by Malvern Hills Trust and West Midlands Butterfly Conservation volunteers who spent many days in the winter months improving the habitat on the northern hills.

The free colour leaflet, called Butterflies Around the Malvern Hills, highlights all 33 species of butterflies found on the Malverns and some of the day-flying moths.

Produced by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation, with the support of the trust, AONB and Natural England, it includes information about each species and a large map shows the best sites.

Mel Mason from West Midlands Butterfly Conservation said: “We hope that our new guide will promote awareness of the important butterflies to be found on the Malvern Hills, provide help to identify them and encourage more people to become involved in their conservation”.

the leaflet is available from the Trust Office in Grange Road, and Malvern Tourist Information Centre at the top of Church Street.