Prof Thomas led a research project which resulted in the reintroduction of the maculinea (large blue) butterfly.

BBC: Dorset butterfly scientist appointed OBE

Just an hour from Khasab are dive sites with schools of blue and yellow Indian Ocean angelfish, Arabian butterfly fish, snappers, lionfish, groupers, stingrays and turtles.

BBC: Oman��s sleepy Musandam Peninsula

At the end of our four-hour hike, Remo pounced into a dense roadside thicket to catch a scarce swallowtail, a butterfly noted for its brilliant blue and gold tail whose design mimics the head of a distasteful insect to ward off predators.

BBC: Switzerland��s valley of butterflies