DIG FOR BUTTERFLIES

Britain's butterflies are struggling It's more important than ever to do what we can to help.

- KATE BRADBURY

BUTTERFLIES AND FLOWERS GO TOGETHER like jam and cream. Each is wonderful in its own right, but together they make something special. Watching butterflies flit around my mini meadow and tumble over the plants in my border makes my heart leap, and is one of the many rewards of gardening for wildlife. Seeing these pretty insects in our gardens is good for the soul – butterflies make us happy!

Sadly, these often-colourful pollinators are in serious decline. Results from the 2021 UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS), led by Butterfly Conservation, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the British Trust for Ornithology, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, show that in terms of abundance, 2021 was a below-average year for UK butterflies, including many of our common and widespread species. The green-veined white, for instance, had its fourth worst year on record and the large skipper its fifth. The large white and small skipper both had difficult years, and the ringlet its lowest numbers since 2012.

SHORTER ANNUAL SURVEYS ARE also offering worrying snapshots. In 2021, Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count saw the overall number of butterflies recorded at its lowest level since the counts began in 2010, despite record numbers of people taking part (more than 150,000). On average, participants clocked up just nine individual butterflies or moths per 15-minute count over the three-week survey, down from 11 in 2020. The peacock registered its lowest numbers since 2012; the small tortoiseshell had its third-worst summer since 2010.