Help survey butterfly that prefers life in the North

PEOPLE HEADING down to the woods are being asked to look out for a butterfly on the rise because of climate change.

Experts want the public to help them chart the progress of the speckled wood butterfly which has seen a 71 per cent increase in their habitat and a 84 per cent boost in numbers in the last 40 years.

As the climate has warmed, the butterfly has spread to colonise East Anglia, the Midlands and much of northern England, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation said.

And it has become much more widespread in Scotland where once it was restricted to the mildest areas of the west coast and the Moray Firth. The speckled wood is aptly named, flying in partially shaded woodlands with dappled sunlight.

As part of the annual Big Butterfly Count, in which members of the public count common butterfly species to help the experts chart their fortunes, the conservation charity is asking people to record the speckled wood in woodlands.

Scientists are keen to understand why the speckled wood is thriving at a time when threequarters of the UK’s butterflies are in decline, with many widespread species experiencing worrying slumps.

The speckled wood’s spread has been limited in areas where woodlands have been destroyed, Butterfly Conservation said. The Big Butterfly Count runs until August 7.