UK butterfly numbers fall to new low

Butterfly numbers have fallen to a new low, according to data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

The statistics confirm conservationists' fears that 2008 was the poorest summer for butterfly numbers for more than 25 years. The relative absence of breeding during the dire summer of 2007, the wettest on record, impacted seriously on butterfly numbers during 2008. Heavy rain makes it hard for butterflies to survive - they can't fly in the rain - and that means they can't reach the nectar they feed on.

For twelve species 2008 was their worst year since records began in the mid 1970s. The list includes several once familiar garden visitors whose numbers have dwindled in recent years, including the Orange-tip, a beautiful spring butterfly, and the Small Tortoiseshell, which has declined drastically over the last decade.  The figures also show that some butterflies are rapidly becoming extinct in parts of the country.

Butterflies are important as an indicator species, alerting us to underlying problems with the environment. If butterfly numbers are falling, inevitably other wildlife is also suffering. British butterflies have been declining steadily for years and the new statistics show that recent wet summers have accelerated these declines.

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