Butterflies around the world are changing habitats – and experts say it’s ‘signalling a warning’

The Eltham copper butterfly. About 80% of butterflies that shifted expanded their ranges, often moving into newly suitable areas as temperatures rise. Photograph: Elaine Bayes/Wetland Revival Trust

Butterflies, often considered a “sentinel of change”, are on the move across every continent they inhabit, shifting to survive as global heating reshapes their environment.

About one in 10 species have already expanded or contracted their geographic range, or shifted in altitude, according to a global study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.