Butterfly Ireland is a species-reference site. Misidentification undermines the whole editorial promise. These are the public standards every page is held to.
Real photography
Every species catalogue page uses a real photograph of an actual Irish specimen, or a clearly-labelled UK specimen from the shared British and Irish range where an Irish photograph is unavailable. AI-generated species photography is banned across the site. Editorial illustrations of habitat and life cycle are permitted where clearly distinguishable from species reference photography.
Named contributors
Every editorial article carries a named byline linked to a contributor bio page. Species catalogue pages carry an editorial-team byline: they are collective references, compiled from many contributor observations.
Sourced distribution and status
NBDC atlas for distribution. NPWS Article 17 reporting for conservation status. Butterfly Conservation Ireland Red List for national assessment. Every species page shows the last-verified date.
Public corrections log
Every documented misidentification correction is logged publicly with a dated notice at the top of the corrected species page. Silent overwrites are not permitted.
Irish language respected
Gaeilge species names are cited from An Coimisinéir Teanga terminology base, Ó Dónaill’s dictionary, and Foras na Gaeilge sources. Where no standard Gaeilge name exists for a species, the page says so honestly rather than invents one.
Editorial independence
Species catalogue pages carry no affiliate links and no display advertising above the fold. Book review coverage made possible by publisher-supplied review copies is labelled as such. Commission size does not influence recommendations.
Every sighting counts
Butterfly Conservation Ireland and the National Biodiversity Data Centre track changes in Irish butterfly populations through recorder submissions. Add a sighting, and a named contributor will verify it within seven days.