Butterfly populations 'could crash' due to weather
More than 77,000 butterflies were recorded in Devon while 47,000 were spotted in Cornwall this July.
Butterfly populations in Devon and Cornwall have been recorded as very good this summer, with nearly 5,000 participants taking part in the Butterfly Conservation's 2026 big butterfly count. The count recorded 77,151 insects in Devon and 47,712 in Cornwall. However, experts fear that prolonged hot and dry weather could lead to a population crash, as previous drought conditions in 1976 and 1995 had severe impacts on butterfly populations.
Professor Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation warns that with increasingly hot, dry summers and droughts predicted to become more frequent due to climate breakdown, some species may be pushed towards extinction. The charity urges people to help wildlife recover by planting more trees and shrubs, installing water butts to store rainwater, and leaving areas of grass uncut.
Brief written by urgent.news from BBC Science's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
