Atlas species distribution map example

Our Butterfly Atlases are vitally important because they show the location of species and, over time, measure distribution changes and the possible effects of climate change. This gives us the information we need to help various species in appropriate ways.

Since 1995, the butterfly records that we collect are cumulated nationally every five years, at the end of which period recording starts again. Our oldest butterfly records date from 1970.

• Hints on how to use the Atlas pages
• Introduction to our analytical methodology
• Explanation of data collection methods
• Previous Atlas publications

Atlas by species

The species pages listed below give an analysis of both long and short term data for Dorset’s butterflies from 1990 to 2019.