{"id":18512,"date":"2022-07-24T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2022-07-24T06:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=64434"},"modified":"2022-07-24T08:29:18","modified_gmt":"2022-07-24T06:29:18","slug":"butterflies-of-the-uk-common-species-to-see-how-to-submit-sightings-and-how-theyre-being-helped","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/butterflies-of-the-uk-common-species-to-see-how-to-submit-sightings-and-how-theyre-being-helped\/","title":{"rendered":"Butterflies of the UK: common species to see, how to submit sightings, and how they\u2019re being helped"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Butterfly Conservation\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 24 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The sight of brightly coloured butterflies dancing across of a garden or feeding from flowers is always a welcome sign.<\/p>\n

Butterflies and moths are indicators of the health of our ecosystem, as recognised by the Government, and it\u2019s critical that we do what we can to save them from further decline and extinction.<\/p>\n

Here are some facts about these beautiful winged creatures, in our expert guide by Butterfly Conservation:<\/p>\n

How many species of butterflies and moths are there in the UK?<\/h2>\n

There are 59 species of butterflies seen regularly in the UK. 57 of these are resident species whereas two, the painted lady (pictured below<\/em>) and the clouded yellow, are regular migrants that breed here every summer.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The painted lady butterfly migrates to the UK. \u00a9 Mark Searle\/Butterfly Conservation<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Meanwhile, there are over 2,500 species of moths. These are typically split into the \u2018macro\u2019 (large) and \u2018micro\u2019 (small) moths, but there are some micro moths that are quite large and vice versa!<\/p>\n

How many species have gone extinct in the UK?<\/h2>\n

Four species of butterflies are classified as extinct in the UK, and half of Britain\u2019s remaining butterfly species are now on the Red List of British butterflies<\/a>, meaning they are threatened or near threatened with extinction.<\/p>\n

However, thanks to the work of Butterfly Conservation, along with partner organisations, the large blue butterfly has been successfully reintroduced, and the chequered skipper butterfly has recently been reintroduced to England<\/a>.<\/p>\n

51 moth species have been lost from Britain since 1900 and a further three species may also now be extinct.<\/p>\n

Learn more about reintroductions in the UK:\u00a0<\/h4>\n