Half of 'Big Butterfly Count' species up on last year

Butterflies did better than feared in the wet and miserable weather across much of the UK in July and August, experts have said.

More than half of the 20 species counted by the public in the Big Butterfly Count recorded better numbers than they did last year, although people braving the soggy conditions saw fewer butterflies on average than in 2014, Dorset-based charity Butterfly Conservation said.

One butterfly species managed to defy the parasitic wasp which lays eggs in its caterpillars, eventually killing them, to see numbers bounce back after a series of steep declines.

The garden favourite, the holly blue butterfly, whose numbers boom and bust because of the parasitic wasp, saw a 151% increase in numbers compared to last year and its best showing in the Big Butterfly Count since 2010.

The holly blue has been struggling in recent summers but bounced back this year as it enjoyed a temporary advantage over the wasp.

Elsewhere in the count, the gatekeeper claimed top spot as the most commonly seen species with numbers up 17% on last year, while the large white butterfly recovered from a fall seen last year to claim second spot with a 46% rise.

But overall, people spotted an average of 13.4 butterflies per count compared to 14.7 in 2014, as the damp condition proved less than ideal for the sun-loving insects.

Common garden butterflies the peacock and small tortoiseshell both saw numbers fall by more than half compared to last summer, while red admirals and speckled wood butterflies experienced falls of a quarter on 2014's count.