Concerns Bailiwick could lose some butterfly species forever

UK charity Butterfly Conservation said its Big Butterfly Count in 2024 saw the lowest number of butterflies spotted in its 14-year history. It has called for the banning of toxic neonicotinoid pesticides.

It said that a third of species had their worst year on record ever, and more than 9,000 big butterfly counts reported not seeing a single butterfly.

Andy Smith, the county recorder for Guernsey, Herm and Sark, said it was his gut feeling that it was the same picture locally.

‘But most worrying of all is that some species are teetering on the brink of local extinction,’ he said.

‘The general consensus is that this has been one of, if not the, worst year for a very long time.’

He said that the small tortoiseshell, with only four sightings reported so far this year, must be considered critically endangered.

‘Even Sark, a wildlife haven locally, is not immune – it seems that the dark green fritillary, thought only to breed in Sark within the Channel Islands, might possibly be extinct. None were reported in 2024 there at all,’ he said.

‘So, along with reducing numbers, we are possibly already beginning to see species slip away. In my more than a quarter of a century of recording I cannot recall as poor a season as this.’

He added that the reasons behind the decline were not complicated and were all linked.

‘The combination of pesticide use, more land used for development and the loss of habitats are all well-known factors.

‘But we are now seeing the effects of climate change – not just the cold, wet summer, but the summer drought two years ago dramatically reduced the number of wild nettle patches. These are the food plant of the small tortoiseshell and the peacock butterfly.’

Butterfly Conservation is writing an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calling for the Government to act now and ban butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides.

La Societe Guernesiaise entomology section secretary Andy Marquis said it was time to put away the herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.

‘They all have a detrimental effect on nature,’ he said.

‘We need to keep new developments away from highly biodiverse sites and plant more pollinator-friendly flowers in gardens, in town and the parishes.

‘Try to find a little space for native plants in your garden, particularly those eaten by caterpillars, even nettles, and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have peacocks, or even small tortoiseshells, visit and lay eggs on them. In doing this you might just help to bring a species back from the brink.

‘How cool is that?’