Vanishing butterflies: How numbers have plunged after a soggy summer

Last year's unusually wet weather devastated their breeding season and left many vulnerable species struggling, according to a report from the charity Butterfly Conservation.

By the end of last summer, numbers were at their lowest for 25 years while eight species were at an all-time low.

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UK butterflies desperately need good weather in the coming months to recover, the charity says.

Butterflies are unable to fly in heavy rain. Last summer's torrential downpours came during the crucial breeding, feeding and laying season.

Dr Tom Brereton, the charity's head of monitoring, said: "Last summer was the worst for a quarter of a century.

"We are not that optimistic for this year because it was such a bad breeding season.

"The only positive thing is that we didn't have a drought so there was plenty of food for the caterpillars in the autumn.

"We need some nice warm weather, calm sunny days and a little rain if they are to recover. They could bounce back."

The statistics come from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Each year it collects data from thousands of volunteers. The eight butterflies found to be at an all-time low were the common blue, the grayling, the Lulworth skipper, the small skipper, the small tortoiseshell, the speckled wood, the chalkhill blue and the wall.

The decline has been speedy. Common blues are down 78 per cent compared with 2003 while numbers of small tortoiseshells fell by 81 per cent in the same period.

Other species that have suffered badly include the high brown fritillary and the duke of burgundy.

Sir David Attenborough, president of Butterfly Conservation, is promoting an appeal to raise funds to help avoid a crisis.

"Butterflies face mounting threats," he said. "Some face possible extinction.

"Money from our Stop Extinction Appeal will restore countryside for butterflies and other wildlife."