'Don't mow lawn' plea with butterfly numbers plunging

MORE than half of UK butterfly species are now in long-term decline, as humans destroy habitats, use pesticides and drive climate change, experts said.

- EMILY BEAMENT

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, run by a coalition of conservation organisations, has also revealed that 2024 was one of the worst on record for butterflies in the UK with species including the small tortoiseshell, the chalk hill blue and small copper suffering their worst year ever.

Richard Fox, from Butterfly Conservation, said he was "devastated" by the declines in British butterflies, which he said were driven by human actions.

The monitoring scheme by charity Butterfly Conservation, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has been running since 1976, and now sees volunteers count butterflies across more than 3,000 sites.