‘Warning sign to us all’ as UK butterfly numbers hit record low
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/29/warning-sign-uk-butterfly-numbers-record-low
Posted by Wagamaga
‘Warning sign to us all’ as UK butterfly numbers hit record low
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/29/warning-sign-uk-butterfly-numbers-record-low
Posted by Wagamaga
36 Comments
Butterfly numbers are the lowest on record in the UK after a wet spring and summer dampened their chances of mating.
Butterfly Conservation, which runs the Big Butterfly Count, sounded the alarm after this year’s count revealed the worst numbers since it began 14 years ago.
Many people have noticed the lack of fluttering insects in their gardens. Experts say this is due to the unusually wet conditions so far in 2024. Climate breakdown means the UK is more likely to face extremes in weather, and the natural rhythms of the seasons that insects such as butterflies are used to can no longer be relied on.
The UK had its wettest spring since 1986 and the sixth wettest on record, as an average 301.7mm (11.87in) of rain fell across March, April and May, nearly a third (32%) more than usual for the season. The Met Office has said recent decades have been warmer, wetter and sunnier than those of the 20th century
Aye, I normally get covered in clouds of red spotted burnet butterflies on the Cramond Island, this year there were hardly any. Very sad.
we’ve had the warnings. we’re now well into the events that we’ve been warned about. nobody seems to care, so it’s going to keep happening until a reckoning is forced.
Insect numbers full stop are in massive decline based on my own anecdotal experience.
Remember going on a long road trip and having to clean the car due to the amount of bugs squished on the windscreen? When did you last have to do that? It does not happen to anywhere near the degree it once did.
This year has been so depressing on the butterfly numberes. Despite being out and about most days this summer I am seeing virtually no butterflies most days and if I do its been singular number.
Got lucky yesterday with the good weather, so many butterflys. Everything from Grayling, to Dark Green fritillary to common blues. But this has been the most I have seen all summer and definitely flying in the face to all the bad days of the rest of the summer.
Saw 1 yesterday on a 6km walk on some moorland. Very very noticeable. Very few insects in general.
This has been obvious for many years. I remember as a kid who was interested in butterflies (mid 90s) there were always loads of butterflies around every day in the summer. It’s massively dropped off.
Stop destroying the greenbelt. Ban plastic grass for none sport/business use. Stop paving over gardens. Dig a pond.
We’ve let out garden grow out in a managed way with wild flowers, lawn that has random plants in it etc and we’ve seen a couple of butterflies and bees this year – nowhere near what you’d expect but at least it’s something. Better than the sterile lawn of the neighbours I reckon.
I’ve done a good job getting the bumblebees back into my garden but I’ve seen a grand total of two butterflies so far this year. Makes me sad
I have loads of bees and butterflies in my garden this year, just as any other. Hardly any birds though, and we used to have so many.
Never mind – build another housing estate over their flower meadows.
No one cares, everything sucks, the capitalists won.
Personally, I’ve not seen so many butterflies as I’ve seen the last few days on the four budlea plants in the front garden. I purposely leave a nettle patch for them to lay eggs and caterpillars to feast on
Personally, I’ve not seen so many butterflies as I’ve seen the last few days on the four budlea plants in the front garden. I purposely leave a nettle patch for them to lay eggs and caterpillars to feast on.
I’ve started adding bug hotels and leaving more wild spots in the garden. It’s helped both the insect and birds quite a bit, and we have a lot more life than we used to. But I’ve not seen any butterflies for a long time now
Hardly seen any butterflies or bees I just put it down to the wet start we had to the summer.
Those in power clearly don’t think there’s a problem or they would be giving up their private jets, yachts, multiple homes and huge cars.
I’ve got loads of flowers in my garden and I’ve only seen a few butterflies. One or two, and that’s it. No honeybees, and a few bumblebees.
Terrible times we are living in.
When I was a kid, long time ago, there would be hundreds of butterflies on the flowers across all the neighbour’s gardens. Thinking back, an amazing sight but didn’t seem so at the time, seemed just normal. I remember a wall of buddleias which was thick with Red Admirals. I have a flower garden and an allotment and we are in the countryside, but now seldom see a butterfly, perhaps one or two a day.
There’s a warning in this. Man needs insects, insects don’t need man. Man is part of nature, when man fights nature he is fighting himself. Technology won’t save us, nor will billionaires. It’s not too late to save the natural world but it’s getting near to catastrophe.
Two terrible Spring seasons in a row has been disastrous for much insect life. Throw in everything else like the death of the front garden in newer estates, plastic grass, concrete slabs, decking, chemicals on agriculture land, pollution in waterways and is it a surprise nature is struggling?
Several factors are at play to insect decline.
Population is rising so more cars on the road, meaning more pollution. More food needed so there’s more pesticides used. More houses getting built on green land areas.
You can make everyone drive an electric car, you can make people basically be net zero but if the population keeps rising then people need food, people need somewhere to live. That’s the true cause of it all really.
It won’t help with all these fuckers eradicating their gardens in favour of plastic grass and plastic plants … and chopping down beautiful cherry blossom because it lands on their car.
I saw so little butterflies this year it’s really sad. I guess the mixture of bad weather took a part in it. I even let all the caterpillars make home in my garden
I saw so little butterflies this year it’s really sad. I guess the mixture of bad weather took a part in it. I even let all the caterpillars make home in my garden
Would it have anything to do with the pestacides, single use plastics and toxic chemicals in everyday items.
Do the net-zero zealots have anything to say about this or do they wrongly think that decabornisation is the panacea?
Most insects and birds are down this year. Lavender has almost no bees, seen only a few butterflies. Bird numbers and variety down on my bird feeders, and I seen one wasp, and not a single bat. Got a feeling things are really serious well before this news. Very worrying.
It does appear to be noticeable too. My neighbour and my parents have both said there doesn’t seem to be many butterflies about this year, despite having butterfly friendly plants such as Buddleia in their gardens. I thought it might be due to how wet the UK has been in the last year, if that is the cause or part of the cause then it’s still climate related and extremely worrying, but I think until Billionaires actually worry about it, we are in fact all very, very screwed.
Nothing will change until millions of humans start dying from climate change. At which point it will probably be too late.
There’s a beautiful canal near where I live that’s surrounded by forest and fields, was always so many bugs and birds to spot. Rochdale council decided it would be great if one entire side of the river was destroyed, all of the grass and wild plants dug up and for all of it to be flattened into a churned up mountain of soil so some rich asshole could build houses on it. Same again further up. Meadow of wildflowers currently being churned up by cranes and diggers.
I have seen one butterfly on that canal all year.
A lot of species specifically thrive off of thistles and nettles, plants that commonly seen as weeds and are cleared away. If you want to help please consider putting down a little patch of wildflowers and thistles!!
I’ve really noticed the numbers of bees and butterflies dropping in my garden. I haven’t seen a dragonfly all year yet either
Butterflies are my nemesis as someone who likes to grow Kale, Cabbage, and Broccoli, the caterpillars absolutely destroy them. However, I would never use pesticides, I’ve found covering the brassicas with mesh keeps them off it, then I grow Nasturtiums nearby as a peace offering as they love to munch on those too, and Nasturtiums shrug off caterpillar damage much better.
I was really disappointed I had to chop down the Buddlea as it was threatening the wall foundation. I will see if I can reintroduce one somewhere more appropriate, they used to love that.
Everywhere they were is now a new build housing estate. Near where I live there was a nature reserve filled with natterjack toads and great crested newts (and all the insects that come with a wetland/heathland)- it’s now a persimmon site. Wankers.
Ban glyphosohate and neonicotinoids
They’re fucking the insect populations
Doubt their residue is good for human consumption either
Not to detract from the fall in invertebrate numbers, but was anyone able to join in on this count?
The weather’s been so bad, I’ve only been able to start doing transect walks the past 2 weeks, and even then it’s only the past few days where it’s been consistently the correct sort of weather
To join the UK butterfly monitoring scheme, you need to adhere to strict guidelines on when you do counts, such as no rain, temperatures within a certain range, low levels of wind, good sun levels, etc.
I’m so happy this is getting recognition.
The biggest problem here is pesticides. It’s so unbelievably expensive these days, but try to buy organic, especially if you have the financial means. And maintain larval food plants for caterpillars. Their nectar sources are abundant in the British countryside, but their larval food plants are worryingly full of pesticides, so maintaining a small patch of nettles or grass will do wonders.