Cold and wet summer may hit butterflies, Attenborough warns
THIS year’s slow spring and soggy summer could hit common UK butterflies, Sir David Attenborough has warned.
The naturalist is urging people to take part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, recording their sightings of 18 species of butterflies and two day-flying moths to help experts chart the effects of poor weather conditions on the insects.
Conservationists need as much information as possible on how butterflies are faring, to help halt and reverse the declines of many species in the past few decades, Sir David urged.
Long-term declines are being driven by issues such as habitat loss, agricultural intensification and climate change, while each year’s weather can affect how well they do.
Cold wet weather can hit butterflies as it reduces their opportunities to feed and mate.
This year they endured a slow start to spring, with cold conditions in March and snow falling into April, and despite a few warm weeks in May, June has been a washout in many parts of the UK with sightings of butterflies down.
Sir David, president of Butterfly Conservation, said: “Last year’s wet and cold summer made life difficult for many of our butterflies and coupled with this year’s late spring our red admirals, small coppers, green-veined whites and speckled woods really need a boost of warm summer weather to enable them to thrive.
“It is vitally important that we gain a clearer picture of how our butterflies are faring.”
More than three-quarters of UK butterflies have declined in the last 40 years, with some common species such as the common tortoiseshell slumping significantly.
The Big Butterfly Count is now in its seventh year, with more than 50,000 people taking part last year, counting 600,000 butterflies.
To take part, people have to find a sunny spot at some point between July 15 and August 7 and then spend 15 minutes counting the butterflies that they see and then submit sightings online at bigbutterflycount.org or via a free app.
The outlook for the rest of the summer is damp and grey if the legend of St Swithin’s Day is to be believed.
The weather myth states that if it rains on July 15, wet weather will persist for 40 days and 40 nights.
Heavy rain is forecast for the north of the country today, while further south will be cloudy but largely dry, the Met Office said.