A new "Red List" was recently published, including the 29 at-risk species of butterflies, out of the 58 presently living in Britain.
As specified in a Mail Online report, time is running out to save one of the most beloved insects of Britain as half of the nation's species of butterfly are currently at risk of extinction.
Britain's dying butterflies: HALF of UK's native species are now at risk of extinction because of habitat loss and climate change - with another 8 added to 'red list'…#butterflies #climatechange https://t.co/Bmn9QgRwKP
— Mr Skylord (@SuperSkylord) May 25, 2022
Eight more species have been added to the list since the 2010 assessment, including the Scotch Argus and Swallowtail, both listed as "vulnerable."
Meanwhile, three species have also fallen off the list and into the "least concern" category. These include the Dingy Skipper, Skipper, and Purple Emperor.
Out of the 29 listed on the list, eight are categorized as "endangered," 16 as vulnerable, and five as almost threatened.
The number represents a 26-percent increase in endangered species, Butterfly Conservation, a wildlife charity that compiled the list, reported.
Habitat Loss and Climate Change
According to the charity, habitat loss resulting from intensive farming, pesticides, pollution, and climate change were the main reasons for the growing number of endangered species.
Scientists collated data collected by volunteers from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and Butterflies for the New Millennium recording technique.
They analyzed species that the International Union has regularly bred for Conservation of Nature or IUCN.
Out of 62 species, four are already extinct in Britain. These species are the Black-veined White, Large Tortoiseshell, Large Copper, and Mazarine Blue.
Endangered Species
Even before the new assessment, British butterflies were among the most endangered in Europe, and now, the number of endangered species in Britain has risen by five, a rise of more than a quarter.
While some species have turned less endangered, and a few have even dropped off the Red List, the increase, in general, demonstrates that the decline of the status of British butterflies continues apace.
The Large Health and Grayling butterflies, in particular, have moved from "Vulnerable" to "Endangered," and seven other species have moved from "near threatened" to "vulnerable."
The list includes the instantly recognizable Swallowtail, described in a BBC News report, and the Adonis Blue butterfly. Essentially, the Scotch Argus and Dark Green Fritillary have recently been included in the "Red List" for the first time, under the "Vulnerable" and "Near Threatened" categories, respectively.
Butterflies as 'Indicator Species'
Butterflies are seen as an indicator species. This means that their abundance reflects a wider biodiversity crisis in insects.
In a report published in early May, a study of the so-called "splatter count" on vehicle number plates has suggested that flying insect numbers have dropped by 60 percent in less than two decades.
The survey, led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, asked the public to document the number of flying "insects squashed on their number plate" and compared it with data from almost two decades ago.
Specifically, a similar report from The World News specified that the number of insects sampled dropped by 59 percent between 2004 and 2021. Among the reasons for the drop is the widespread use of insecticides, fragmentation of habitats, the warming climate, and the loss of wildflowers on farms.
Related information about British butterflies is shown on A Shot of Wildlife's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on Butterflies in Science Times.
