91TV

Keith Moore takes a look at current citizen science projects such as the Big Butterfly Count, and finds some beautiful depictions of butterflies in the collections of the Royal Society.

The authors of a new study in Proceedings B discuss the potential role of mimicry in butterflies as a method of advertising their difficulty of capture to predators.

Butterflies from the subtropical genus Heliconius are an excellent model for investigating the role of behavioural innovation in evolution. They exhibit a remarkable, novel feeding strategy by actively collecting and feeding on pollen, which provides a reliable source of protein, allowing females to continue laying eggs for up to six months.

Keith Moore admires the work of early women scientists and illustrators Maria Sibylla Merian and Maria Eleonora Hochecker.