Butterfly numbers have boomed in the UK thanks to a hot summer in 2013, experts have revealed. Species such as the brimstone, common blue and small tortoiseshell all bounced back on farmland after their numbers nosedived the previous year, according to Butterfly Conservation, the British Trust for Ornithology and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Their joint “wider countryside butterfly survey” showed there was also a resurgence in the small copper, small skipper and large skipper varieties – as last year’s bright and sunny weather triggered a colourful outbreak of butterflies across the countryside.
The small tortoiseshell has been declining in recent years but recorded its best year since the survey started in 2009, while the common blue enjoyed a five-fold increase in the average number seen per area compared to 2012.
Cabbage whites were another species that did well, with twice as many large whites counted per square and five times as many small whites as the previous year.
“Farmland butterflies really thrived last year, primarily due to the fantastic summer weather, which provided ideal conditions with several recording their best ever wider countryside butterfly survey results,” said survey co-ordinator Dr Zoe Randle, from Butterfly Conservation.
Only a minority of butterfly species, including the holly blue and red admiral, saw a fall in numbers compared to 2012.
