2.2 Butterflies

It might seem surprising that an organism as apparently delicate as the butterfly might migrate, but it does.

Research on moths and butterflies in the south of England by Sparks et al. (2007) indicates that many more species from mainland Europe are now migrating to the UK, typically involving a 150 km journey. A clear link exists between temperature and increases in the number of moth species commonly found in mainland Europe being cited in the UK. Sparks et al. (2007) suggest that, for every 1°C rise in temperature in southwest Europe, the UK will attract about 14 new moth and butterfly species. In addition, many migrant butterfly and moth species are not overwintering in the UK.

For more information, see the Butterfly Conservation website.

The Environmental Change Network (ECN) has 57 monitoring sites throughout the UK. There is an interactive element to their website, which looks at the relationship between a limited number of species and different environmental parameters.