It was very much a butterfly summer on our peatlands, with the release of the large heath on Astley Moss. Also known as the Manchester Argus, this was the first time this insect has flown in Greater Manchester for 150 years.

So, when Britain's Butterflies - A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland, landed on my doorstep, that was the first page I looked for.

"A butterfly of boggy moorland, which remains widespread over much of Scotland and parts of Ireland but has declined in northern England and Wales," did not capture the excitement of our summer, but, to be fair, the authors didn't know about our project when they were writing the book.

What the book does do is provide masses of information about each species and some wonderful pictures to help you identify your subjects. There are maps, charts and interesting facts. I like the "look-alikes" bit, identification is all about working out what something is not, as you try to find what it actually is.

This is the fourth edition of the Wild Guide, written by experts David Newland, Robert Still, Andy Swash and David Tomlinson. It looks at differences between butterflies and moths, lifecycles, habitats and migration, all written in an accessible way. This is good education material, being colourful and lively.

If you want to know more about the beautiful visitors to your garden, this book will look great on your windowsill.