Most of the UK’s butterflies are resting at this time of year, until warmer weather arrives in spring. They often tuck themselves away in cool, dark and dry places such as garages, attics and lesser used rooms inside houses.

What should we do if we come across a butterfly indoors, especially if the warmth has tricked it to wake up early because it thinks spring has arrived? It might then venture outside where the weather may be hostile and there would be little nectar available to sustain it.

Several species of butterfly in the UK spend the winter as adults, including the peacock, comma, small tortoiseshell and brimstone. Red admirals are also increasingly overwintering in the UK due to our warming climate.

The Butterfly Conservation charity has some excellent advice for helping a butterfly found indoors.

If a butterfly is in your shed or other cool dark place with its wings closed and isn’t moving, you can usually leave it alone. However, if you’re planning on heating that space, there’s a chance it could wake up, so you should carefully move it to another cool, dark and dry place where it can spend the rest of the winter.

If it’s wide awake and fluttering around, you should move it to a suitable cool location so it can continue its hibernation. First, carefully encourage it into a cardboard box. If necessary you could use a brush to scoop it up. Then place the box somewhere cool until the butterfly calms down.

When the butterfly has calmed down, find a spot that will stay cool, dark and dry throughout the winter – an unheated room or outhouse, shed or a sheltered porch are ideal. Remember that the butterfly must be able to escape when it awakens in early spring.

Encourage the butterfly to crawl out and settle on a wall or ceiling where it can stay until warmer weather arrives.

If you find a butterfly flying outside in the winter months, Butterfly Conservation says not to worry, as some butterflies occasionally head out to forage on warmer days before returning to their hibernation spot.

We’ve included several stories about butterflies and months in our “Out and about” feature over the past year, all thanks to Butterfly Conservation, which seeks to create a world where butterflies and moths thrive and can be enjoyed by everyone, forever.

It is tackling butterfly and moth declines across the UK, and saving species from extinction through ground-breaking research, dedicated conservation work and extensive engagement programmes. You can help its work by becoming a member.

Half-price membership, exclusively for Woking News & Mail readers

Butterfly Conservation is offering 50% off membership for the first year, exclusively for News & Mail readers who sign up before 31 January.

Your membership support will help protect beautiful butterflies, moths, restore vital habitats, and safeguard the environment for future generations. Members also receive exclusive updates, tips for spotting rare species, and an opportunity to join your local branch.

Join now at https://butterfly-conservation.org/join?promocode=WOKNEWS50 The half-price offer* is available only to new members who join by 31 January 2025. Your membership will help save butterflies and moths.

Don’t let this opportunity flutter by!

*The reduced prices payable for the first year are: £1.58/month (or £19/year) for a single membership; £1.75/month (or £21/year) for a joint membership; £1.91/month (or £23/year) for a family membership.