Threats to British Butterflies
Butterflies are attractive insects that and as well as valuable pollinators of plants, fruit and vegetables, they give nature lovers a great deal of pleasure.
In most cases, our butterflies have very specific habitat requirements which are affected by changes in their environment. In a fast changing British landscape, this pressure is now causing serious declines in many species. Intensive agricultural practices and woodland management are some of the main factors in this decline. Since the 1940’s, 97% of flower meadows have been lost, together with large areas of chalk downland and ancient woodland. One example of a species on the edge is the high brown fritillary, which has declined by 94% in recent years.
Some of our butterfly species are legally protected, with species like the heath, marsh and brown fritillaries, large copper, large blue and swallowtail being afforded full protection. Many species cannot be caught in the wild or sold. These include the purple emperor, northern brown argos, pearl bordered and Glanville fritillaries, chequered, silver-spotted and Lulworth skippers, small, silver-studded, chalkhill and Adonis blues, large heath, mountain ringlet, wood white, large tortoiseshell and the black, brown and white-letter hairstreaks.
