Butterfly numbers are dropping but here are five species you may see more of

Butterfly numbers are dropping but here are five species you may see more of6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJustin RowlattClimate editorIain H LeachThe Orange tip butterfly is doing well, with numbers significantly higher than in the 1970sIncreasingly warm and sunny weather over the last half century – driven in part by climate change – has helped some British butterfly species to flourish, according to one of the world's biggest insect monitoring schemes.But the overall picture is more troubling. Data collected over half a century shows many of the UK's most distinctive butterflies are in steep decline.The findings come from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS), which has gathered more than 44 million records from 782,000 volunteer surveys since 1976 – making it one of the largest and longest-running citizen science projects of its kind.Of the 59 native species monitored, 33 have declined, 25 have improved and one mountain species has too little data to assess.Butterfly species which are doing well include the Red admiral, some of which are now spending winter in the UK as the climate warms. Comma butterflies, with their distinctively ragged wing edges, have recovered in numbers since the survey began.Orange tip numbers are up more than 40% since 1976, and Black hairstreak - one of the UK's rarest butterflies - is recovering thanks to conservation work. The Large Blue has also done well thanks to conservation efforts, after being declared extinct in 1979.The survey results highlight a growing divide between adaptable species and specialists, according to the charity, Butterfly Conservation.Butterflies able to thrive in a wide range of environments – including farmland, parks and gardens – are generally coping better and, in some cases, increasing in number.Warmer conditions linked to climate change are helping drive this trend, the charity says, by boosting survival and extending the geographic range and breeding seasons for fle...