Four-fifths of UK species improve numbers after 2013 and targeted conservation but extinction threat lingers
The Guardian, Wednesday 9 April 2014
Butterflies returned to the skies last year with four-fifths of British species increasing after the worst summer on record, but overall numbers were still well below average.
An unusually sunny midsummer gave respite to rare species threatened with extinction following a disastrous 2012, in which fewer butterflies were recorded by volunteers and scientists than at any time since records began.
Targeted conservation work also helped populations of the endangered high brown fritillary, which increased numbers by 133% in 2013, and theLulworth skipper, up by 162%, according to the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) that began in 1976.
Common garden species such as the small tortoiseshell, which had suffered a dramatic decline after a run of unreliable summers also rallied, also recovered. The small tortoiseshell improved its numbers by more than 200% in 2013 to record its best year for a decade.
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