THE green-veined white was the most abundant butterfly in Scotland this summer.
The white butterfly with prominent greenish veins on its hind wing, came out on top in this year’s Big Butterfly Count.
It rose 452 per cent in comparison to last year, to replace the ringlet in the top position.
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The large white – up 150 per cent – and small white – rising 114 per cent – also recorded large year-on-year increases in Scotland, while the speckled wood – up 106 per cent – reached its highest levels in Scotland since the count began.
But organisers said these species had bucked the trend, as the majority of species studied in Scotland continued to suffer.
Although many rose slightly compared to 2015, most remain below the counts in previous years.
Scottish participants saw an average of just eight butterflies per count this summer, slightly up on last year, but well below the 11 per count spotted in 2013.
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These falls came despite the UK experiencing warm and dry weather conditions that usually help butterflies to thrive.
Common species such as the ringlet, meadow brown, small tortoiseshell and red admiral all struggled with numbers falling in comparison to last summer.
Numbers of the colourful small tortoiseshell have now dropped six-fold in Scotland, from an average of 3.3 individuals per count in 2013 to just 0.5 per count in 2016 Across the UK as a whole the majority of butterfly species studied as part of the scheme saw their populations fall this summer with some producing their worst numbers since the Big Butterfly Count scheme began. Reasons why they have struggled despite the favourable weather are unclear.
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Butterfly Conservation’s head of recording, Richard Fox, said: “The drop in butterfly numbers this summer has been a shock and is a bit of a mystery. The summer months were warmer than usual, yet most Big Butterfly Count participants saw fewer butterflies.
“Perhaps the very mild winter had a negative effect, or the cold spring, or perhaps the impacts of intensive farming and pesticides are really hitting these common species now.”
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