Gigi says – My Butterfly friends are getting less and less, in fact they have fallen to a new low, I have been told by the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.
British butterflies have been declining steadily for years, but the recent wet summers have made it worse. Heavy rain makes it hard for us to survive, we can't fly in the rain and that means we can't reach the nectar we feed on. Rain also reduces breeding success, the terrible summer of 2007, (the wettest on record) had awful effects on butterfly numbers in 2008. In fact it has been confirmed that 2008 was the poorest summer for butterfly numbers for more than 25 years. For 12 species, 2008 was their worst year since records began in the mid 1970s.
Some of my best friends the Orange-tip, a beautiful spring butterfly, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Wood White and the Small Tortoiseshell, have been getting less over the last 10 years in certain parts of the country
Butterflies are important as indicators, alerting us to underlying problems with the environment. If butterfly numbers are falling, so will other wildlife be suffering and in decline.
The main factors causing the long term decline of many butterfly species include the loss of crucial habitats such as flower rich grassland and the extensive farming methods. Also not taking care of our woodlands is causing big problems for us.
Butterfly Conservation is working with landowners and other conservation organisations to help reverse declines as a matter of great urgency.
