The results of the first national butterfly count, organised by Butterfly Conservation (in partnership with Marks and Spencer), were out this week.
As well as releasing information about the ten most sighted butterflies, there was some relief about the small tortoiseshell and gatekeeper numbers, thought to have drastically fallen, are now recovering.
The media has latched on to a possible decline in butterfly numbers. In July, a Telegraph article blamed it on making pleasant seating areas in gardens, saying 'Decking causing British butterfly decline'. For landscape gardeners it was not good publicity.
However Richard Fox, of Butterfly Conservation, said that the Telegraph article 'overstated my comments' and he said that the private garden is not to blame.
"Gardening fashions are not the cause of the massive declines in British butterflies over the past 30 years or so," Richard Fox said.
"Gardens can provide important resources for butterflies, moths and other insects but hard surfaces in gardens for example tarmac for parking, decking and gravel and, indeed, house building in larger, mature gardens do not,” he said.
The decline in numbers is one thing and the loss of a species something else, as Dr Peter Barnard, director of science at the Royal Entomological society pointed out.
"It is important to distinguish between population sizes of any particular species, and any changes in numbers of species, i.e. biodiversity," he said.
"There is little evidence that the number of insect species in the UK is changing dramatically, though there are some threatened species that we know about. On the other hand, some new species have been found here in the past few years.
"Regarding population sizes, we have data for very few species, and the national butterfly survey is one of the few large-scale attempts to address this."
He also agreed with Richard Fox about the effects of changing ground surfaces.
"It is highly likely that changes in agricultural practice have had an effect on insect numbers, and it is also possible that domestic gardens have also had an impact," he said.
"Covering over ground with patios, decking or car-parks must have an effect, as will growing some new varieties of plants which do not produce nectar or pollen to attract insects. But there is little hard evidence to confirm this; anything else is mere speculation."
Speculation aside, 10,000 people took part in the butterfly count (that's about 0.02% UK population). This is the first to be held and it will be carried out again next year relying on people to note their observations and to contribute.
The numbers of butterflies is a sign of a robust environment, as Richard Fox stressed, referring to butterfly counting as taking the 'pulse of nature'.
“Butterflies and moths are important as indicators, alerting us to underlying problems with the environment. If butterfly numbers are falling, inevitably other wildlife is also in decline," said Richard Fox.
Butterfly count results:
1.Small White 29,954
2.Large White 29,893
3.Gatekeeper 29,094
4.Meadow Brown 13,876
5.Common Blue 11,462
6.Peacock 11,213
7.Green-veined White 7,399
8.Red Admiral 6,316
9.Small Tortoiseshell 5,700
10.Ringlet 5,061
Download Biggest Ever Butterfly Count Reveals Surprising Results
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