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Rare Butterfly Returns: Large Tortoiseshell Sighted in England!
26 Mar
Summary
- The Large Tortoiseshell Butterfly, once thought extinct in the UK, has been sighted.
- Sightings span across Kent, Sussex, Isle of Wight, Cornwall, and Dorset.
- Climate change is strongly suspected as the reason for its return.
The Large Tortoiseshell Butterfly, a species long believed to be extinct in the UK, has been recently observed across southern England. Numerous sightings have been reported in areas including Kent, Sussex, the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, and Dorset. These frequent observations have led Butterfly Conservation to reclassify the species as breeding within the UK, a status not held since the 1980s.
Experts suggest that rising global temperatures are a key factor in the butterfly's resurgence. While the exact reasons for its earlier disappearance remain unclear, current warming trends across Europe are thought to be pushing the species northward. This phenomenon mirrors the return of other continental moth species to the UK.
Conservationists are urging the public to report any sightings of the Large Tortoiseshell Butterfly via the iRecord citizen science app. This data will be crucial in mapping the butterfly's current breeding grounds and understanding its successful return to the British Isles.
