I have spent the last five years travelling round the UK to photograph UK butterfly species, many captured in flight and astonishing aerial sequences for the first time, as well revealing beautiful macro close-ups of scales, eggs and antennae. Butterfly Safari is a 208 page full colour 250x250 hardback now out with Graffeg Books £30 available from bookshops and direct from the publisher. The Gaurdian has published a feature on the book in their Saturday Magazine and online here. BBC Wildlife magazine are running a photo-story from the book in their May issue and Country Life are doing an interview and cover feature in July. I have written a feature for the spring 2023 issue of Butterfly Conservation . Many of these photos have already appeared in the national press. There are upcoming features in Geographical Magazine and Landscape Magazine.
'Incredible photos... a beautiful book.'The Guardian
'Breathtaking and beautiful photos... a butterfly book like no other.' Amateur Photographer
'With so many of our butterflies in decline, this is a very timely book by one of the country’s best photographers. It’s a must-have for the bookshelves!'
Iolo Williams
'This book captures the glorious beauty and heart-lifting spirit of butterflies better than any other' – Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles
‘This book captures the beauty and movement of butterflies like no other. The flight sequences are sublime – they are pure poetry in motion.’
Dr Martin Warren, former Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation
'I was recently asked if I had a photo of a butterfly in flight that could be used to show the manner in which take-off is achieved. Despite having an extensive photo library, I had to admit defeat and couldn’t even suggest another photographer. This has now all changed thanks to this luscious book by Andrew Fusek Peters, who seems to have defined a new genre in terms of ‘butterflies in flight’. Unsurprisingly, his photos have made the national press. His work is so unique that it has also come up in casual conversation with other butterfly enthusiasts on several occasions. The book is in a square ‘coffee table’ format that seems to be the trend when it comes to artistic works, allowing such a visual feast to be presented at its very best.The book is structured as a monthly diary, organised around the 58 species found in mainland Britain and their time of emergence, with the book taking four years to obtain the photos needed. The focus is very much on the imagery, with the species descriptions providing a personal narrative from the author on his encounters that are littered with anecdotes. As one might expect from a book that is a photographic record, there are some stunning images. The take-off sequences often shows a butterfly in the context of its habitat, and I was particularly taken by those of the Glanville Fritillary on the Isle of Wight and the Duke of Burgundy at Rodborough Common. There are also many spectacular closeups of eggs, scales, and parts of the adult butterfly such as their head and antennae, giving us a view of these delicate creatures that is rarely seen. There are also shots that are particularly artistic and technically challenging, such as a Marbled White with the moon as a backdrop, or a roosting Common Blue under a starlit sky.All in all, I see this book as a personal celebration of the butterfly’s beauty and one that we can all share in. Any butterfly photographers will be particularly inspired after reading this work.'
Pete Eeles, UK Butterflies