First things first, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope everyone is not too hungover from the amount of alcohol inevitably consumed last night. I may be a little ambitious attempting a blog post on New Years Day however, I will try and make it as short and sweet as possible. I just wanted to share with everyone a story about butterflies. Thats right... those pretty things that you tried to catch when you were little because they seem so fascinating. I am not ashamed to say that, that feeling hasn't changed as I have grown up and I still find butterflies incredibly interesting to study. What first caught my eye was how they are migrating further North in the UK (Crozier, 2004). I did not even know butterflies migrated let alone that they are being impacted by the steady warming temperatures due to anthropogenic climate change.
The brown argus butterfly actually benefits from a change in climate!
Coming from the 'North', I can understand the draws of the picturesque countryside and it seems so do the butterflies. UK butterflies are heading northwards as climate change makes Northern England more habitable (for the butterflies...). This has both negative and positive consequences as 'three quarters of butterflies have showed 10 year decrease in their populations' (Townsend, 2014) , meanwhile a small amount of common species are actually thriving! So what are the reasons for butterfly migration North? The lovely warm weather... well I don't know about that- it seems colder than ever...but according to a study published in Nature (2012) the warmer climate since 1990 has caused the Brown argus butterflies to expand their range, using different varieties of plants to host their eggs. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology identified that populations of the butterfly have spread 79km further North in 20 years. The same investigation highlights that summer temperatures from 1990 to 2009 were on average 0..78% warmer each consecutive year (BBC Nature, 2012).
It remains upsetting that unfortunately species that are already endangered and in decline are unable to migrate, which means they may face extinction. This will be especially prevent in species that need specialised habitats such as the Duke of Burgundy and the Pearl- bordered fritillary
Endangered : The Duke of Burgundy and the Pearl- bordered fritillary butterflies.
It is extremely important therefore in the light of climate change that these special species are not overlooked and I was extremely pleased to find organisations that are dedicated to the conservation of these vulnerable butterflies. One such organisation was the Forestry Commission by Natural Scotland. They present the Pearl- bordered fritillary as one of the key woodland species identified for action under the Scottish Forestry Strategy 2006. They have recorded the butterfly distribution by survey highlighting areas where the butterfly is particularly abundant. They have discovered the main threats to these species and along with the distribution map are protecting and conserving small areas of particular importance.
So to welcome in a new year I thought I'd leave you all with this incredibly cheesy but relatable song....
Happy New Year!
Score board update: Anthropocene 7 - 3 Biodiversity
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