Experts stunned after record-breaking surge in rare butterfly sightings: 'None of us want summer 2025 to ever end'
It's an all-time high for the site — and a major milestone for the conservation of the vulnerable species, The Guardian reported.
The purple emperor is noted for being an elusive butterfly species — and for having some unusual behavior. According to The Guardian, the pretty purple butterflies feed on dung and animal carcasses — or fermented tree sap that makes them "tipsy." It's an unexpectedly grotesque diet for a butterfly, especially one this breathtaking.
Though the butterfly species is listed as wildlife of "least concern" by Great Britain's Red List, the species is listed as a "medium" conservation priority by Butterfly Conservation. That's because populations are dispersing and dropping due to habitat loss, a consequence of land development and rising global temperatures. And it's exactly why the large population sighting at Knepp is so exciting.
According to The Guardian, experts attribute the boost in sightings to Knepp's pioneering "process-led" rewilding project. Started in 2001, the project transformed former farmland into a thriving natural habitat for the butterfly species.
Rewilding projects are essential to supporting vulnerable wildlife and native plant life impacted by climate shifts and pollution. Knepp's rewilding project includes restoring natural habitats, reintroducing native wildlife and plant life, monitoring the area's ecosystem, and much more. This approach helps to restore natural ecosystems, boost biodiversity, and build resilience against future climate shifts.
Rewilded landscapes — including forests, wetlands, and grasslands — can act as powerful carbon sinks, absorbing pollution from the atmosphere. These areas also help regulate water cycles and create more stable, self-sustaining environments, which are crucial in the face of a warming world.
Particularly key to the purple emperor's resurgence is the growth of sallow scrub in the area, a crucial plant for the purple emperor's egg-laying, according to Rewilding Britain. Ecologists at Knepp say the plant has flourished, thanks to natural dispersal from roaming livestock like pigs and ponies.
Knepp's butterfly expert, Neil Hulme, told The Guardian that purple emperor populations naturally fluctuate year to year, so it may be premature to celebrate. Still, he highlighted Knepp as a "top-quality rewilded landscape" — and not only for the purple emperor butterfly. Other butterfly species, including purple hairstreaks and the silver-washed fritillary, are also being sighted in similar record numbers in the area.
Hulme told The Guardian Knepp has "clouds of butterflies everywhere," adding that "none of us want summer 2025 to ever end."
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