More than half of Britain’s butterfly species in decline, monitoring scheme shows

Warmer weather has benefited some species in Britain, but others that rely on specific plants or habitats have struggled

“Insectageddon” has not occurred, but there has been a loss of butterfly diversity over the past half a century, according to the world’s largest insect monitoring scheme.

More than 44m butterfly sightings scientifically collected in Britain since 1976 show that of the 58 native species recorded, 33 species have declined and 25 have increased in number.