The endangered Lulworth Skipper was seen seven weeks before the time it normally emerges, while the Black Hairstreak, one of Britain’s rarest butterflies, was on the wing more than a week earlier than it has ever been recorded.
Butterfly Conservation said Britain’s butterflies appeared to have been emerging increasingly early in the year over recent decades, and the charity has been doing more detailed monitoring of the insects’ appearances in the last 10 years.
Dr Tom Brereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation, said that in addition to the first butterflies being spotted earlier in recent years, numbers were also peaking earlier as the whole life cycle shifted forward in the year.
He added that Butterfly Conservation was hoping to get as many people as possible involved in its annual national Big Butterfly Count next month, which would help scientists determine exactly what is happening to Britain’s butterflies.
via The Telegraph 07 Jun 2011