Butterflies of Madeira

Where to find them, what they look like, and their favorite foods

Roger Coghill

Born in London at the beginning of WW2, Roger Coghill attended the City of London School, and subsequently gained an Open Scholarship to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. There he read first for the Classical Tripos and then became a Senior Exhibitioner in Biological Sciences, gaining his Masters in 1964. After a further qualification at Surrey University, he obtained his second Masters degree in Environmental Management at the University of Wales, a country where he lived until his retirement to Madeira in 2016.

Although retired, before long he began to explore the features of the island’s richness in flora and fauna, a natural inclination for one whose ancestor by marriage was none other than Sir Christopher Wren, the architect and founder of the Royal Society. His primary interest in butterflies and their habitats, together with a love of the outdoor life, led him to research the various species of butterflies on the island, their habitats, foodplants, and breeding behaviour, as well as the historical background of butterfly collectors.

This book is the result. It allows the reader not only to become familiar with the beauty and individual species of butterfly found on Madeira, but reveals their likely locations along the numerous levadas, parks, and interior byways of the island.