Nature in crisis with a butterfly vanishing act
WHERE have all the butterflies gone?
This summer you may have noticed a lack of common blues or peacock butterflies in your garden or local park.
In the latest warning for nature, the UK has recorded its lowest ever number in an annual survey of the insects.
And the future looks even bleaker after scientists warned the decline could accelerate due to more extreme weather linked to climate change
Butterfly Conservation, which counted butterflies and moths between July 16 and August 8, said the results marked the lowest numbers since the Big Butterfly Count started 12 years ago and called for urgent action.
As well as being a vital part of the food chain, butterflies are significant indicators of the health of the environment.
The number of peacock butterflies fell by 63% compared with last year, while the common blue declined by 59%, speckled wood by 41% and small tortoiseshell by 32%.
On average, nine butterflies or moths were spotted per 15-minute count by 99,000 volunteers, down from 11 in 2020, and 16 in 2019.
A handful of species, including marbled white and ringlet, rose from low levels during last year’s count.
Butterfly Conservation said heavy downpours in May, when England had the highest rainfall for that month since 1967, hampered breeding and feeding. “Butterflies don’t like rain at all, they’re coldblooded. Effectively they’re solarpowered,” the charity said.
“With more climate change-related extreme weather likely, the impact on some of the UK’s most loved insects could be devastating.” The State of the UK’s Butterflies report, a scientific survey last published in 2015, found three quarters of Britain’s butterflies had declined since 1976. The large blue is an exception, with numbers growing since it was reintroduced in 1983 via caterpillars from Sweden.
Julie Williams, the charity’s chief executive, said: “The facts are clear. Nature is in crisis and we need urgent action, not just to prevent further species losses but to rebuild biodiversity.”