Butterflies have a vital role to play in ensuring the multiplicity and variety of many other animals and plants, and it’s this coexistence of plants and pollinators that continues to guarantee the magnificent summer spectacle before our eyes. I mean, the way author Steve Andrews puts it, if you’ve never taken a photo capturing, at the very least, some of the fleeting kaleidoscope of colour on display within their natural setting, you’ve done your senses a huge disservice. Inclusive of many black and white drawn illustrations of butterflies and moths, their transformations arranged and illustrated in a series of plates by various sources from the past, The Magic of Butterflies and Moths: Butterfly and Moth Magic is a glorious and bountifully sculptured step-by-step guide of the transformation of a tiny egg into a caterpillar, then into a chrysalis, and finally emerging a beautiful butterfly. This seemingly magical process is the life cycle of every butterfly and moth and is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most incredible wonders of nature. In short, and in closing, what is a comprehensive, albeit not overly long at just 63 pages read, what Andrews delivers is an understanding of how we can have, and moreover enjoy a friendlier relationship with these magnificent insects and where in the world when such insects are on the notable decline, hopefully, this impassioned book can teach us all to connect/reconnect with even the smallest of things around us. ~ Exclusive Magazine, Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I love butterflies and I love how they are related to the spiritual world and their beauty. This is an interesting and informative book Recommended. ~ Anna Maria Giacomasso (Reviewer) , NetGalley

The Magic of Butterflies and Moths ‘The Magic of Butterflies and Moths: Butterfly and Moth Magic’ published last month is an absolute treasure and a must read for all nature lovers.Ecoacoustic singer-songwriter and author Steve Andrews brilliantly transports readers into the fascinating world of these insects through his book. Environmentalist, Steve Andrews, born in Wales and also known as The Bard of Ely is the author of multiple popular reads which includes Saving Mother Ocean, Herbs of the Northern Shaman, Herbs of the Sun, Moon and Planets, Herbs of the Southern Shaman. Steve kindly shared a short synopsis of his latest book ‘The Magic of Butterflies and Moths’ which reads “Who can fail to be amazed by the transformation of a tiny egg into a caterpillar, then into a chrysalis, finally to emerge as a beautiful butterfly? This seemingly magical process is the life cycle of every butterfly and moth and is one of the many wonders of nature that fascinated Steve Andrews when he was a child - and it still does to this day. The Magic of Butterflies and Moths musingly explores the wonders of these marvellous winged insects and what makes them so magical.” Steve splits his time between the UK and Portugal and his latest novel ‘The Magic of Butterflies and Moths’ is a fascinating and inspiring read. When asked why he decided to write this book, Steve told The Portugal News “Hopefully this book will play a part in raising awareness about butterflies and moths as many species are declining fast due to pesticides, loss of habitats and climate change.” Naturalist Steve has been a naturalist since he was a young boy and his interest in butterflies and moths’ dates back to then. “When I was a little boy, I fell in love with nature and I would find things in the garden and I thought all these creatures were amazing and I would read a lot about them.” Steve then went on to show me a copy of one of the books he read as a child which I believe was called Insects of the British Isles, published in 1946 which has plenty of pictures of butterflies. "Everybody can see the magical transformation, of how what has been a caterpillar and then a chrysalis transforms completely into a winged creature. That for me is what I considered magical about butterflies too." Steve’s enthusiasm seeps through the pages where you are held captive to every page. I will admit that I am a complete novice to the subject of butterflies and moths but Steve’s book was captivating and easy to follow without losing its intricate details. I think this would be the perfect gift for anyone who is enthusiastic about nature or like myself, wanting to widen your knowledge on these “winged wonders of nature”. This magnificent book showcases different examples of butterflies and moths expertly written by Steve and highlighting fascinating facts about the lives of many species of butterfly and moth. The author starts off by sharing where the term ‘Butterfly’ originated from which I absolutely loved and then dives into different species. I was also surprised to learn that butterflies live in cold places! Steve also shares how readers can save these fantastic insects by including a whole chapter on ‘Butterfly Gardening’. It was fascinating to learn about the importance of stinging nettle from Steve and despite not liking them they are a vital food source for caterpillars. Steve went on to explain that we are losing wildlife habitat and that we can all help by growing plants in our gardens for butterflies caterpillars. Leading by example, Steve told The Portugal News that “In the house I am living in, we have a shared garden and my landlord has let me have a nettle patch.” Magical He also went on to share how magical these insects are by the way “they follow a seasonal calendar and that he can guarantee that at the end of October, he can find Red Admiral butterflies in a forest near him as they have remarkably timed it to when the annual nettle grows here in Portugal, as we get the rain in the autumn.” Steve finally shared that he attended the United Nations Ocean Conference last year and that he was a Delegate at this year’s World Ocean Summit in Lisbon where he met fellow delegate and President of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach, Steve Bender. Additionally, Steve Andrews has many talents which includes being a talented musician which I got to see first hand as he shared ‘Butterfly in My Beard’ with me whilst he enthusiastically played guitar and showed me how to make butterflies with my hands, making it a memorable song. If you are interested in hearing more of Steve Andrews music you can find him on Spotify and YouTube. For more information, please visit https://www.bardofely.org/ and to order your very own copy of ‘The Magic of Butterflies and Moths’ please visit Amazon. Alternatively, for those of you in Portugal, you can purchase it at https://www.wook.pt/ebook/the-magic-of-butterflies-and-moths-steve-andrews/28079148. You can also keep up to date with Steve Andrews by searching for Bard of Ely on Facebook or @bardofely on Instagram. ~ Cristina da Costa Brookes in The Portugal News, The Portugal News online: https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2023-04-03/the-magic-of-butterflies-and-moths/76155

"The Magic of Butterflies and Moths is a beautiful rendition of the history, facts and the importance of the butterflies and their close cousins, the moths. Most people don't give a second thought to the beauty of these sky flowers, but Steve Andrews gives ten fold" - The Monarch of Clockbutterflies (or just Clockbutterflies) ~ Clockbutterflies, Email

‘Steve’s compilation of interesting tales and facts about moths and butterflies, in “The Magic of Butterflies and Moths”, are just what is needed to help people understand and have friendlier relationships with these incredible insects; a major goal of our No Insectinction campaign.’ ~ Paul Hetherington, Buglife Director of Fundraising and Communications, Email

Lovely stories and lots of amazing facts too. We especially like the story about your cat and the Monarch. Wish you lots of success with this book. ~ Rebecca of Rebecca's Butterfly Farm AKA #ButterflyWhisperer @BeccasButterfli

"In a world where insects are on the decline, and where ignorance of these creatures is an existential threat to them - and to us - I'm glad that people like Steve are still publishing things like 'The Magic of Butterflies and Moths'. It's never too late to learn!" ~ Bart Coppens, lepidopterist, Via email

In a world where so many species are either rapidly declining or facing imminent extinction, we need to do everything we can to help. The Magic of Butterflies and Moths spotlights these wonderful and often under appreciated insects, and Steve’s passion clearly shines through, inspiring others to cherish them too. Steve has done a great job bringing this wonderful group of insects into our focus, at a time when they need all the help they can get. This book highlights the beauty of these wonderful insects, and Steve’s passion for them is infectious! A great read. If you’ve never really given much appreciation to butterflies and moths, then this book is for you. You simply can’t help but be fascinated by them after reading Steve’s passionate words on these winged jewels. ~ Jim Ashton of Wild Horizons, Via email

Butterflies and moths have always fascinated and captivated the human race. In the early days of entomology as a discipline, people who studied butterflies and moths were known as "Aurelians", allegedly because of the gold coloured specks on the chrysalids of certain Nymphalid butterflies. But I like to think of the term as meaning "treasure hunters" as these delightful little insects are living jewellery which enrich our lives by their very existence. Steve Andrews obviously feels much the same way as this lovely little book, shares some of the truly magical aspects of these little insects with us all. And there is wonder and awe in every word. ~ Jon Downes (Director, Centre for Fortean Zoologysanitize_seed_ek2vd63c2wgskgkw400c0s44c)sanitize_seed_ek2vd63c2wgskgkw400c0s44c]sanitize_seed_ek2vd63c2wgskgkw400c0s44c, Facebook private message.