Latest news with #ButterflyConservation
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Independent
Lake District walkers urged to look out for England's only mountain butterfly
Visitors to the Lake District are being asked to look out for England's only mountain butterfly to help scientists protect the rare species. The mountain ringlet, a small brown butterfly with orange wing spots, lives exclusively on mountains and is more commonly found in Scotland than in England, where conservationists say it is so hard to find that they have yet to discover whether numbers are going up or down. Adult butterflies usually emerge in June and fly for up to three weeks, but the timing depends on the weather – with the last week of May the earliest it has been spotted in Cumbria while the latest is mid-July. The butterflies are small – 35-38mm (1.4inches) – and only active in bright sunshine, keeping low to the ground in short flights, pausing on grass tussocks or feeding on the flowers of tormentil and heath bedstraw. Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is examining how mountain ringlets are responding to climate change, with concerns mountain species will be squeezed into smaller areas of suitable habitat as temperatures rise. The charity says sightings from the public, as they explore the Lake District national park, would help improve knowledge of the butterfly's distribution and breeding success. Butterfly Conservation North of England conservation manager Martin Wain said: 'We would be so grateful if fell walkers could keep their eyes peeled for this lovely little butterfly and report their sightings. 'You might even discover a new colony! We urgently need to know more about where it is so we can learn more about how to protect it. He added: 'Looking for the mountain ringlet can add extra interest to your hike, whether you slow down and mindfully look for it, watch out for it as you eat your sandwiches, or just keep it in mind as you walk.' The charity has produced a map of previous sightings of mountain ringlets, all above 450 metres (1,476ft), on mountains in the Borrowdale volcanic group – from Wasdale in the west to Mardale and Haweswater in the east. The map also includes potential new locations marked in pink squares, near to existing sightings, where conservationists are most keen to encourage people to look for new colonies. Lancaster University student Mim Woodward, who is helping to co-ordinate the project, said: 'If you can explore one of these pink squares, you could be the first to record a mountain ringlet there – helping to uncover a brand new colony. 'These are the most important areas for us to search, and your walk could make a real difference to Butterfly Conservation.' The charity hopes to work with farmers and land managers across Cumbria to trial different land management techniques, in particular grazing regimes, to see how to maintain the best habitat for the mountain ringlet.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Mountain ringlet butterfly: Lake District sightings sought
Visitors to the Lake District are being asked to look out for a mountain butterfly which is the only one of its kind in mountain ringlet is so elusive that, even in Scotland where it is more common, conservationists are still unsure exactly how many public is being asked to log any sightings of the creature, which is brown with orange wing spots, to help scientists improve their knowledge of the Wain, from the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation North of England, said: "We urgently need to know more about where it is so we can learn more about how to protect it." Adult mountain ringlets usually emerge in June and fly for up to three weeks, but the timing depends on the last week of May is the earliest it has been spotted in Cumbria, with mid-July being the 35-38mm (1.4inches) in size, they are active in bright sunshine, keeping low to the ground in short flights and pausing to feed on bunchgrass and other are concerned numbers are being affected by climate change, with areas of suitable habitat becoming smaller as temperatures rise. Butterfly Conservation has produced a map of previous sightings all above 450m (1,476ft) on mountains in the Borrowdale volcanic group - from Wasdale in the west to Mardale and Haweswater in the map also includes potential new locations marked in pink squares, near to existing Wain added: "Looking for the mountain ringlet can add extra interest to your hike, whether you slow down and mindfully look for it, watch out for it as you eat your sandwiches or just keep it in mind as you walk."The charity also aims to work with farmers and land managers across Cumbria to trial different land management techniques, in particular grazing regimes, to see how to maintain the best habitat for the mountain ringlet. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Mountain ringlet: Walkers urged to spot this rare UK butterfly
People visiting the Lake District for a picturesque walk are being asked to not just look at the lovely scenery, but keep their eyes peeled for a rare species of butterfly. The mountain ringlet is England's only mountain butterfly and it's so hard to find that conservationists don't know whether its numbers are going up or down. It's found more commonly in Scotland but the season to see these in Cumbria, England has just started. Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is asking people to log any sightings so they can examine how these beautiful insects are responding to climate change. The timing of when these butterflies emerge is dependent on the usually emerge in June and fly for up to three weeks. The last week of May is the earliest they've been spotted in Cumbria and they've been seen as late as mid-July. Much like some of us, they're only active in the sun and keep low to the ground!The best place to spot them is when they pause on grass tussocks or feed on flowers. Conservationists are concerned climate change is forcing the mountain ringlet into smaller areas of habitat as temperatures why they're asking people to log any sightings so they can compile a map of where they've been seen and later analyse the butterfly's distribution and how well they Conservation North of England manager Martin Wain said: "We urgently need to know more about where it is so we can learn more about how to protect it."Looking for the mountain ringlet can add extra interest to your hike, whether you slow down and mindfully look for it, watch out for it as you eat your sandwiches, or just keep it in mind as you walk."
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Scientists ask public to look out for England's only mountain butterfly
Scientists are asking visitors to the Lake District to keep an eye out for England 's only mountain butterfly. The mountain ringlet, a small brown butterfly distinguished by orange spots on its wings, lives exclusively on mountains and is more commonly found in Scotland than in England. Conservationists say the butterfly is so hard to find in England that it is not known whether its numbers are increasing or decreasing. The adult butterflies usually emerge in June and fly for up to three weeks, though the timing is weather dependent, with the last week of May being the earliest the butterfly has been spotted in Cumbria, and the latest is mid-July. The butterflies are small, around 35-38mm (1.4 inches), and only active in bright sunshine. They tend to keep low to the ground in short flights, pausing on grass tussocks or feeding on the flowers of tormentil and heath bedstraw. Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is examining how mountain ringlets are responding to climate change, with concerns that mountain species will be squeezed into smaller areas of suitable habitat as temperatures rise. The charity says sightings from the public, as they explore the Lake District National Park, would help improve knowledge of the butterfly's distribution and breeding success. Butterfly Conservation North of England conservation manager Martin Wain said: 'We would be so grateful if fell walkers could keep their eyes peeled for this lovely little butterfly and report their sightings. 'You might even discover a new colony. We urgently need to know more about where it is so we can learn more about how to protect it. He added: 'Looking for the mountain ringlet can add extra interest to your hike, whether you slow down and mindfully look for it, watch out for it as you eat your sandwiches, or just keep it in mind as you walk.' The charity has produced a map of previous sightings of mountain ringlets, all above 450 metres (1,476ft), on mountains in the Borrowdale volcanic group – from Wasdale in the west to Mardale and Haweswater in the east. The map also includes potential new locations marked in pink squares, near existing sightings, where conservationists are most keen to encourage people to look for new colonies. Lancaster University student Mim Woodward, who is helping to co-ordinate the project, said: 'If you can explore one of these pink squares, you could be the first to record a mountain ringlet there, helping to uncover a brand new colony. 'These are the most important areas for us to search, and your walk could make a real difference to Butterfly Conservation.' The charity hopes to work with farmers and land managers across Cumbria to trial different land management techniques, in particular grazing regimes, to see how to maintain the best habitat for the mountain ringlet.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Devon butterfly recorder warns of concerning species decline
The number of four species of butterfly in Devon were at their lowest for at least a decade in 2024, new figures Conservation said the number of silver-washed fritillary, dark green fritillary, wood white and small heath were lower than at any time in the past 10 numbers come from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) and Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM).The charity's Devon branch recorder, Pete Hurst, said humans had "destroyed wildlife habitats", and said poor weather meant "already depleted" populations were vulnerable and unable to bounce back. It comes after the charity revealed 2024 was the fifth worse year overall for butterflies across the UK, with more than half of species in long-term decline for the first time on Hurst extracted figures for 10 local butterfly species in the figures showed the silver-washed fritillary was 26% lower than the previous lowest count and 38% lower for the whole 10-year dark green fritillary was 37% lower than the previous lowest count and 60% lower for the same 10-year period. "Unfortunately, these figures show concerning drops in the numbers of beloved local butterfly species in Devon," Mr Hurst added: "Unfortunately, these figures show concerning drops in the numbers of beloved local butterfly species in Devon. "This is in line with the national picture, and I would expect there to be similar reductions in other Devon species as well."Mr Hurst said long spells of wet weather would have had a "significant negative impact" on butterflies - but he said there was "much more at play".He said damage to habitats, pollution, and the use of pesticides on an "industrial scale" had contributed to the decline - adding climate change meant unusual weather was becoming "more and more usual".
