Butterflies in the UK
are facing "a vital" period following a worrying decline in their
numbers, naturalist Sir David Attenborough has warned.
The TV broadcaster
said some of the UK's most common species have suffered "significant
declines" in recent years.
Many have experienced
"several poor years", he added, due to cold weather and with their
habitats under threat.
Warm weather this year
has given some species, such as the meadow brown and red admiral "a good
start", he said.
More than three
quarters of the UK's butterflies have declined in the last 40 years, with
numbers falling quicker in towns and cities, experts say.
Sir David, president
of Butterfly Conservation, said that despite a warm summer last year, species
like the small tortoiseshell, peacock, meadow brown and gatekeeper had seen
numbers fall due to a warm winter and a subsequent cold spring.
Image copyrightBUTTERFLY CONSERVATIONImage caption(Clockwise
from top left) The Meadow Brown, Peacock, Gatekeeper and the Small
Tortoiseshell
"Worryingly, we
are now seeing the fortunes of some of our once common butterflies mirror those
of our rarest species and they too are now also suffering significant declines
with butterflies declining more rapidly in urban areas than in the countryside,"
Sir David added.
"In the last
decade our butterflies have experienced several poor years and although
resilient, they simply cannot sustain repeated losses, especially if the
habitats they need in order to rebuild their populations are also under
threat."
He said 2017 has been
a good year for species so far, but added: "Butterflies really need this
to continue."
Sir David urged
members of the public to take part in the annual Big Butterfly Count to see if common species
can bounce back this year.
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