Urgent appeal for butterfly survey volunteers in wake of ‘disastrous’ spring
A wildlife charity has launched an urgent appeal for Scots to take part in its annual butterfly survey and help determine where the insects have gone following "disastrous" spring weather.
Butterfly Conservation (BC) said many species had a poor spring or a delay in their emergence following this year's unseasonably cold and wet weather.
The Speckled Wood was particularly low in numbers in spring, but the Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Green-veined White, Large White and Red Admiral were also all down in abundance compared with their 10-year average.
BC has called for the public to take part in citizen science event the Big Butterfly Count, to help discover how this has impacted on species this summer. The world's largest annual butterfly survey, which runs across the UK from today until August 8, is designed to help assess the health of the environment by counting 17 species of butterfly and day-flying moths.
Members of the public spend 15 minutes outdoors counting the number and type of butterflies they see, with increases or declines calculated on the average number per count. The results are used to help map how the insects are faring and where conservation efforts should be targeted.
Wildlife campaigner Chris Packham, Vice-president of BC, said: "Biodiversity and climate crisis is an urgent issue and it can be overwhelming to think about what we can do as individuals to really make a difference.
"Because butterflies and moths make excellent indicators of the impacts of climate change and other human environmental factors, collecting data on their numbers is really important. So, something as simple as recording a butterfly spotted in your garden, at your local park or on your window box can play a part in vital research into a global problem."
Last year, the survey found that Scotland's butterflies suffered a record 70 per cent decline, the worst annual crash north of the Border since the launch of the Big Butterfly Count in 2010 - and over twice as great a drop in numbers as the UK as a whole.
The Painted Lady, which was Scotland's most common butterfly in 2019, plummeted to 13th place last year after a 100 per cent decline.
Other iconic species including the Peacock, down 56 per cent, and Red Admiral, down 50 per cent, also suffered dramatic reductions.
The most commonly seen butterfly in Scotland last year was the Small Tortoiseshell, with nearly 5,000 individuals recorded, although numbers seen were 21 per cent fewer on average compared with 2019. The second most spotted species, the Small White, fell by 25 per cent, ahead of the Large White, down 5 per cent.
This year in Scotland, a new species, the Scotch Argus, has been added to the Big Butterfly Count identification guide. Common and widespread in Scotland, the Scotch Argus has declined in the southern part of its range, especially in England where it is reduced to just two isolated sites.