Time is running out to save one of Britain’s most beloved insects, as half of the country’s species of butterfly are now at risk of extinction.
A new ‘Red List’ was published today, naming the 29 at-risk butterfly species out of the 58 currently living in Britain.
Eight new species have been added to the list since the last assessment in 2010, including the Scotch Argus and Swallowtail, which are both listed as ‘vulnerable’.
Three species have also fallen off the list and into the ‘least concern’ category – the Chequered Skipper, Dingy Skipper and Purple Emperor.
Of the 29, eight of the species are categorised as ‘endangered’, 16 as ‘vulnerable’, and five as ‘near threatened’.
This represents a 26 per cent increase in the number of at-risk species, according to wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, which compiled the list.
The charity said that habitat loss – caused by intensive farming, …