UK butterflies vanish from nearly half of the places they once flew – study

Butterfly Conservation report reveals 42% decline in distribution of 58 native species since 1976.

The distribution of 58 native species has fallen by 42% as butterflies disappear from cities, fields and woods. Those that are only found in particular habitats, such as wetlands or chalk grassland, have fared even worse, declining in distribution by 68%.

Scientists for Butterfly Conservation, which produced its State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022 report from nearly 23m butterfly records, said there needed to be a “massive step-change” to reverse what it described as disastrous declines in insect populations.

The report shows that many of the most endangered species have been revived by targeted conservation action or successfully reintroduced in specific places, but butterflies and other flying insects continue to vanish from much of Britain.