An ever-changing climate, urban sprawl, forestry and modern farming techniques have all affected the butterfly world in the last fifty years, according to National Trust naturalist Matthew Oates.
August 2013. Celebrating his 50th season of butterflying, Matthew Oates (Author of the excellent book, Butterflies) has reviewed the winners and losers of the butterfly world since the 1960s while taking a look at their future in the decades ahead.
50 years of ‘butterflying'
Matthew Oates, who received his first butterfly net for his birthday on 7 August 1964 and is now the UK's leading expert on the iconic Purple Emperor, said: "Nearly all butterfly species have seen dramatic changes over the last 50 years and for some it seems their ecology has changed almost entirely.
More losers than winners
"Sadly, there have been more losers than winners during my career, with Dutch Elm disease, woodland clearance, intensive agriculture, urbanisation and a changing climate all playing their part. It's been a massive rollercoaster ride for me. Some butterflies have done remarkably well and in some districts new species have appeared. At the National Trust's Arnside Knott, a top butterfly site in south Cumbria, five new species have colonised during the last two decades.
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