Small tortoiseshell butterfly still struggling

The world’s biggest survey of butterflies takes place across the UK from 14 July until 6 August. Thirty-six thousand people took part in last year’s Big Butterfly Count, spotting nearly 400,000 individual butterflies and day-flying moths.

The organiser, Butterfly Conservation, is hoping for more sightings of small tortoiseshells this year; it is one of many species experiencing a fall in numbers.

In the latest annual UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme the distinctive orangey-red butterfly recorded a 47% decline in numbers compared to 2015. The ongoing decline raises fears for the long-term future of the species, numbers of which have fallen by 75% in the past decade. Some 40 of the 57 species studied in the 2016 count recorded a decline over the previous year.

The highly threatened heath fritillary, wall, grizzled skipper, grayling, white-letter hairstreak and white admiral all showed record lows. “Worryingly, not even the pleasant summer weather of 2016 was enough to help butterflies bounce back from a run of poor years,” said Professor Tom Bereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation.

For details on how to take part in the Big Butterfly Count, go to: www. bigbutterflycount.org. Sightings can also be sent in via a free smartphone app.