Artist's guide uncovers beauty of neglected species

Europe's top butterfly artist, Richard Lewington, has turned his attention to Britain's moths - and produced the most vivid and comprehensive catalogue ever attempted.

The Oxfordshire painter's forthcoming Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland will contain 1,600 of the jewel-like paintings that have made him known in many countries and turned his out-of-print books into collectors' items.

His new volume will illustrate virtually all of the 900-or-so larger moth species, which rival and often surpass Britain's much smaller set of butterflies (about 60 species) in their brilliant colours. It will break ground in showing them in natural resting postures, (where the underwings are hidden), as well as with their wings outstretched.

It has been a labour of love for Mr Lewington, 51, who has been passionate about Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) since perusing his grandfather's collection of pinned specimens as a boy. After training at art college as a graphic designer, he followed his natural history bent. "I didn't fancy doing cornflake boxes and baked beans tins,'' he said.

The sparkle and delicacy of his work means he is the artist of choice for most of Britain's butterfly guides and for many of those on sale in Europe. His 1991 book, The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, produced with Britain's leading butterfly authority, Dr Jeremy Thomas, is regarded by many as the best such book ever produced, but you will search for it in Waterstone's in vain. It is out of print and second-hand bookshops often have a waiting list. Another huge favourite with his admirers is a dragonfly guide, which three years ago was shortlisted for the BP Natural World book prize, the "Green Booker''.

His new moths guide, with text by Paul Waring and Martin Townsend, will be published in August by British Wildlife Publishing at £29.95.