Date: 12th March 1985

Special Postmark: 'British Insects, British Natural History Museum, London SW7'

Postage Stamps: Set of 5 'British Insects

Size:  8.75" x 4.25"

Published By: Benham Covers

Comes with an information card

Gordon George Beningfield (1936-1998) was an English wildlife artist, broadcaster and naturalist known for his watercolour artworks and books.

Much of Beningfield's work involved butterflies, which he felt were overlooked. This decision to specialise on the insect led to the publication of Beningfield's first book, Beningfield's Butterflies, which was released in 1974. This specialisation also led to Beningfield being invited to design a set of Postage stamps for the Post Office in 1981. A further set, depicting a variety of British insects followed in 1985.

Further books would follow, including Beningfield's Countryside, which focused on the countryside in Hertfordshire and Dorset, and Hardy's Country which highlighted 'Hardy's Dorset'.[1] Other's included Beningfield's English Landscapes and Poems of the Seasons. His final book Beningfield's Vanishing Songbirds, was published posthumously and was completed by his wife Betty and friend Robin Page.

Due to this fondness of the insect, Beningfield was made President of Butterfly Conservation following the death of inaugural President Sir Peter Scott in 1989. Following Beningfield's death in 1998, Sir David Attenborough was named president.

Beningfield once again got involved in the charity sector four years later, when he, along with Robin Page and Sir Laurens van der Post, founded the Countryside Restoration Trust, a farming charity which promotes and campaigns for environmentally sustainable methods in agriculture and works to restore wildlife habitats on its farms. Beningfield acted as Vice-Chairman of the Trust until his death..