Decline of Butterflies indicator of climate change

Sir David Attenborough, highly respected wildlife TV presenter, also leads British organization, Butterfly Conservation, and is currently appealing for funds to avoid what he states is the possible extinction of once common UK butterfly species.

The organization says that it is absolutely essential that butterflies benefit from a long warm summer. In order to replenish numbers drastically cut by last summers devastating rains and floods, which arrived just as the butterfly breeding period began.

Many species numbers have dipped to record low population figures, as assed by the conservation group and its army of volunteer data collectors. Many species such as the Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue have suffered dramatic losses, not just last summer but also over the last quarter of a century.

In fact the, not so, Common Blue has lost an estimated 78% of its numbers in the last five years alone. Small Tortoiseshells have been devastated by an even bigger decline of 81% in population.
They are not the only varieties to be struggling against weather, loss of habitat, pollution and pesticide use. Many other varieties of British butterflies are struggling to not only keep up their numbers but also avoid total eradication.

The Small Skipper and the Lulworth Skipper have seen numbers decline by 64 and 73 percent respectively. The Speckled Wood could be said to be doing well, having only lost over a third of its population since 2003.

Butterflies are not just pretty flying garden ornaments; they are also an essential part of our food chain. They are responsible for the pollination of the flowers of inestimable numbers of or essential food plants. As the butterflies decline it places even more strain on our already over stretched food supply.

Government spokesperson for Biodiversity Joan Ruddock claims that the little creatures are a measure of the level and speed of climate change in the UK. In addition, the government intends to back Sir Attenborough’s recovery efforts.

The Met Office has just released its seasonal, long term forecast, which indicates that this summer will again have higher than average rainfall and temperatures.