It’s been another bad year for butterf lies

BUTTERFLIES suffered one of the worst years on record in 2016 despite a pleasant UK summer.

A decline was noted in 40 of the 57 species assessed in the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme compared with 2015, making it the fourth worst year on record.

A mild winter and a cold spring contributed to conditions that saw rare and common species struggle despite a warm, dry summer across much of the country.

The lulworth skipper, which has bright orange wings, declined 61 per cent from 2015 to 2016 – the biggest drop recorded by the survey, which has been running since 1976.

Other species that were hit severely last year include the white admiral, Essex skipper, common blue, large heath, gatekeeper and small tortoiseshell.

research suggests our increasingly mild winters could be causing more disease, pre- dation and disruption of overwintering behaviour for the insects.

And cold springs can cause problems by reducing or delaying butterflies’ emergence.

However, there was good news for the onceextinct large blue, which recorded its second best year on record, while the red admiral was up 86 per cent on 2015.

But Professor Tom Brereton, of the Butterfly Conservation, said: ‘Worryingly, not even the pleasant summer weather of 2016 was enough to help butterflies bounce back from a run of poor years.

‘The results show that butterflies are failing to cope with our changing climate and how we manage the environment.

‘As butterflies are regarded as good indicators of environmental health this is hugely concerning for both wildlife and people.’