The first butterfly of the year is noted by most in the countryside as one of the heralds of summer. There are 59 species found in the UK on a regular basis. Two of those are non-breeders here, simply common visitors, which are the painted lady and the clouded yellow. Sadly, along with far too many species, our butterflies are in decline with a 52% reduction in abundance in the past 10 years alone. Equally worrying is that the number of sites they are being found at has also reduced by 47% in the same period.
Those facts are bad enough but they come on top of large-scale losses since the mid-1970s. One species named the wall butterfly, mainly found in the north of England and the border country, has declined by almost 80% since that decade and that is a scale of loss that cannot be endured if the species is to survive.
The reasons are many. A large number of butterflies make use of specific plants on which they lay their eggs and their caterpillars then feed on. Many of these plants are part of habitats that are themselves under threat, putting the existence of many other species at risk. Limestone grassland, nurtured for hundreds of years for livestock production, has been ploughed up, in many cases in a vain attempt to grow arable crops.
Ancient woodland
Heathland has reverted to scrub and large areas of ancient woodland have also been lost, or the management of it has been such that the understorey has declined and the food plants of woodland butterflies lost. At times it takes a subtle change in circumstances to alter the balance for these species, and that may be as simple as increased browsing by deer taking out a vegetation layer, or the very opposite, a lack of grazing that leads to plants being smothered by more invasive ones.
Denne historien er fra August 18, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 18, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside