'As you can see, the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch isn’t just about birds. Our participants provide us with vital information about other wildlife too, helping us understand how important our gardens are as a habitat for all wildlife.' - Clare Simm, from the Garden BirdWatch team
Spectacular results for British garden butterflies after fantastic summer
Hugely impressive numbers for 2013...
After a run of dismal, wet summers, not to mention a late start to spring this year, our butterflies were sorely in need of a spell of dry, warm weather. Thankfully, this summer delivered and new results from the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden BirdWatch weekly survey, show's that many species recovered spectacularly.
The late spring delayed the emergence of many garden butterflies, producing sharp peaks in activity rather later into the year than is usual. Many species were present in numbers well below what would more normally be seen in the Garden BirdWatch figures for early summer and BTO researchers were initially uncertain as to whether this would be another bad year for butterflies.
However, the summer soon turned into a glorious one and many butterfly species responded with sudden and dramatic increases in numbers. There were barely any Meadow Brown butterflies seen in Garden BirdWatch gardens at the end of June, the start of their usual flight period, but by mid-August they were reported in almost 25% of gardens. This is up 56% from last year, which is excellent news as the species has been declining nationally. Small Tortoiseshells had a less dramatic increase but were still seen in 46% more gardens this summer than in 2012.
The most impressive story of the year, however, belongs to the Peacock. This species overwinters as an adult, and was slow to emerge this year, with activity initially peaking about three weeks later than normal. However, once the weather improved and the first brood of the summer started to emerge, it did much better than in recent years. At the end of July, only 3% of Garden BirdWatch gardens had reported Peacocks but by the end of August, there were reports from 47% of gardens, which was 68% up on what was recorded in 2012.
However, as Clare Simm, from the Garden BirdWatch team, explains, not all butterflies experienced a good breeding season. "Whilst Summer 2013 was successful for many butterfly species, for some species the reporting rate from gardens was much lower than in 2012. These included Red Admiral and Holly Blue, species whose numbers can fluctuate quite dramatically from year to year because of factors such as the size of parasite populations.’"
She added: "As you can see, the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch isn’t just about birds. Our participants provide us with vital information about other wildlife too, helping us understand how important our gardens are as a habitat for all wildlife."
www.bto.org
SIMILAR ARTICLES YOU WILL APPRECIATE:
- Researchers from WWT using Facebook style 'Likes' to record Flamingo data
- Reduction in garden pesticide use stabilising our House Sparrow numbers
- Up-close feature: Swarovski Optik prepares to unveil new SLC binocular range in October
- Where have all your Blackbirds gone?
- Swarovski Optik launches new range of compact CL pocket binoculars
The late spring delayed the emergence of many garden butterflies, producing sharp peaks in activity rather later into the year than is usual. Many species were present in numbers well below what would more normally be seen in the Garden BirdWatch figures for early summer and BTO researchers were initially uncertain as to whether this would be another bad year for butterflies.
However, the summer soon turned into a glorious one and many butterfly species responded with sudden and dramatic increases in numbers. There were barely any Meadow Brown butterflies seen in Garden BirdWatch gardens at the end of June, the start of their usual flight period, but by mid-August they were reported in almost 25% of gardens. This is up 56% from last year, which is excellent news as the species has been declining nationally. Small Tortoiseshells had a less dramatic increase but were still seen in 46% more gardens this summer than in 2012.
The most impressive story of the year, however, belongs to the Peacock. This species overwinters as an adult, and was slow to emerge this year, with activity initially peaking about three weeks later than normal. However, once the weather improved and the first brood of the summer started to emerge, it did much better than in recent years. At the end of July, only 3% of Garden BirdWatch gardens had reported Peacocks but by the end of August, there were reports from 47% of gardens, which was 68% up on what was recorded in 2012.
However, as Clare Simm, from the Garden BirdWatch team, explains, not all butterflies experienced a good breeding season. "Whilst Summer 2013 was successful for many butterfly species, for some species the reporting rate from gardens was much lower than in 2012. These included Red Admiral and Holly Blue, species whose numbers can fluctuate quite dramatically from year to year because of factors such as the size of parasite populations.’"
She added: "As you can see, the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch isn’t just about birds. Our participants provide us with vital information about other wildlife too, helping us understand how important our gardens are as a habitat for all wildlife."
www.bto.org
SIMILAR ARTICLES YOU WILL APPRECIATE:
- Researchers from WWT using Facebook style 'Likes' to record Flamingo data
- Reduction in garden pesticide use stabilising our House Sparrow numbers
- Up-close feature: Swarovski Optik prepares to unveil new SLC binocular range in October
- Where have all your Blackbirds gone?
- Swarovski Optik launches new range of compact CL pocket binoculars