Prees reserve's silver-studded blue bucks the butterfly trend

About 40 of the 57 species studied recorded a decline compared with 2015, new figures revealed.

But the picture in Shropshire appears to be a more positive one, with numbers of the silver-studded blue butterfly at Prees Heath Common Reserve, near Whitchurch, on the up.

Stephen Lewis, conservation manager at the reserve, said overall it was a mixed picture for butterflies.

"It's not good," he said. "Overall, there are more butterflies in decline than increasing, but all species are different.

"It's all very complicated. Different conditions at different times of the year can have an effect on particular species.

"In 2016 we had a good summer, but before that we had a mild winter and a cold spring and that knocked a number of species back. It's all associated with climate change and the erratic weather patterns that we get.

"It's quite possible that it may turn around – we hope so. We certainly think that the mild winters don't help the butterflies, but more research is needed."

Members of the public can help prevent the number of butterflies dropping any further by altering their gardens.

It's not entirely different from how the reserve in Shropshire helped the silver-studded blue butterfly – the only place it can now be seen in the Midlands.

"The silver-studded blue butterfly had a very good year last year, which shows it's not all doom and gloom," Mr Lewis said. "We saw lots and lots of them.

"We've done a lot of work in restoring the heathland within the site, and that's now paying dividends.

"It's not just helping the butterflies either, but also insects, animals and birds. It's also hugely popular with visitors now too.

"One particular thing last year was the decline of the very common species that people see in their garden.

"Planting flowers that will attract butterflies can help them, but will also help bees. Gardeners can also leave an area in a sunny corner of their garden uncultivated, full of nettles, where they can lay their eggs. People don't tend to think of that – but nettles are a very good food source for caterpillars."

Professor Tom Brereton, head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation, said: “Worryingly, not even the pleasant summer weather of 2016 was enough to help butterflies bounce back from a run of poor years.

“The results show that butterflies are failing to cope with our changing climate and how we manage the environment. As butterflies are regarded as good indicators of environmental health this is hugely concerning for both wildlife and people.”

Dr Marc Botham, butterfly ecologist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: “The weather at critical times of species development can cause dramatic changes in population numbers in the short term.

"What is of greatest concern is the regularity with which these short-term changes in recent years are negative, resulting in significant long-term declines for many species.

“Furthermore, this is becoming more and more commonplace for many of our most widespread and abundant species equating to large reductions in overall butterfly numbers with knock-on effects to their ecosystems.”