Butterfly numbers take off

Nature: Warm, sunny summer results in huge increase in creatures

B u tt e r f l y numbers bounced back during the long, hot summer, following the worst year on record in 2012.

Four times as many of the c r e a t u r e s we r e recorded by amateur spotters this year, thanks largely to the warm sunny spell in July and August.

Across the UK, a recordbreaking 46,000 people took part in the annual survey run by the charity Butterfly Conservation, counting more than 830,000 butterflies and day-flying moths.

The population boom made a welcome change following a spell of poor summers which had sent numbers for some species into sharp decline.

In Scotland, contributors spotted almost two-thirds more creatures on average than in 2012, while the numbers for both large whites and small whites were up by more than 200%.

The small tortoiseshell topped the Big Butterfly Count 2013 chart north of the border, with numbers up 300% compared to 2012.

In second place was the small white, with the green- veined White in third.

The peacock had an exceptional year, rising to seventh place after a 700% increase in sightings. Its close relative, the comma, which only returned to Scotland early this century, also fared well.

Inall, 14of the 19 BigButterfly Count species found in Scotland increased in 2013 compared with the previous year, and 11 of these wereupbymorethan 100%.

The losers tended to be species which thrive in colder, wetter weather, such as the six-spot burnet, meadow brown and ringlet moths, all of which were recorded in high numbers in 2012.

The warm weather also brought an increase in migrants from the continent with painted lady (up 114%) and sightings of the clouded yellow, which is usually scarce north of the border.

Butterfly Conservation surveys manager, Richard Fox, said it had been a memorablesummerfor the insects in Scotland – but warned the climate wasn’t the only factor threatening their survival.

“It reminds us that butterflies are resilient and will thrive given good weather and suitable habitats,” he said.

“The problem facing UK butterflies is not the notoriously variable weather, but the way that humans manage the landscape.” No one won Saturday’s Lotto jackpot, making next Wednesday’s draw a double rollover.

Six ticketholders matched five numbers plus the bonus to land £216,464 each, while 300 won £2,705 for five numbers.

LOOKING UP: The small tortoiseshell is one species of butterfly which has benefited from the hot summer