If you manage to dodge the April showers to go butterfly spotting there's plenty to see this month. In this issue we reveal the latest results from our monitoring scheme, explaining how butterflies fared in 2018. The Secret Gardener has a new project to make your garden more moth-friendly and we need you to contact the Scottish Government to help us protect a crucial site for wildlife.
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Bright News For Butterflies
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Two of the UK's rarest butterflies thrived in last summer's warm and sunny weather. Records of Large Blue and Black Hairstreak were higher in 2018 than they have been since monitoring began in 1976.
Every butterfly sighting recorded by our network of volunteers is compiled and published annually. This allows us to spot important changes and see where species are struggling.
The newest findings reveal that last year's heatwave may have given several species a boost but 2018 wasn't a good year for all butterflies.
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Dig it: Provide A Midnight Feast
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Around 85% of our larger (or macro) moths are active after sunset, which amounts to more than 700 different night-flying species (plus many more micro-moths).
If you want to encourage some of our biggest and brightest moths to your garden, night-scented flowers are a great place to start.
This month the Secret Gardener is planning a moon garden to provide nectar for late-night visitors. Read the blog to discover which plants you could add to your patch to support and attract moths.
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Coul Links is a beautiful coastal dune system in northern Scotland. This wildlife-rich landscape hit the news in 2018 when local councillors approved a golf course development on protected land, including three Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Pressure from wildlife campaigners led to a public inquiry. Butterfly Conservation supporters donated £13,000 so we were able to present evidence on the importance of the dunes for butterflies and moths. The Scottish Government has scrutinised the planning application but there's one more thing you can do to help save Coul Links before the inquiry ends.
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Join In
Get the latest news and info on our Facebook page.
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Help
Find out how you can give butterflies and moths a future.
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Identify
Handy tools to identify a butterfly or day-flying moth.
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Species images: Black Hairstreak (Iain H Leach), Elephant Hawk-moth on Honeysuckle (Robert Thompson), Orange-tip (Dean Morley), Purple Thorn moth (Samantha Batty), Scarlet Tiger caterpillars (Mark Parsons), Coul Links (Vince Lowe).
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Butterfly Conservation: Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468)
Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP, Tel: 01929 400 209 Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268)
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