Hot summer fails to offset declining butterfly species, national count finds

Red admiral butterflies are now living in England all year round (Mark Searle/Butterfly Conservation/PA) -

Conservationists said a nationwide butterfly count has yielded disappointing results despite hopes that the record hot summer might have helped to offset decades of declining numbers.

The Big Butterfly Count, organised by wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation over three weeks in the summer, gets members of the public to spend 15 minutes recording the butterflies they see in their garden, park or countryside.