Sir David encourages Cumbria's butterfly counters

The famous naturalist has warned that UK butterflies face a critical summer after a string of poor years has seen the numbers of many common species decline.

Last year was the fourth worst on record for butterflies and Sir David is urging people across to help reveal how widespread species are faring this summer.

Common species such as the Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper experienced declines in 2016, but the warm, dry spring and early summer experienced over much of the UK so far this year could offer butterflies some respite.

The Big Butterfly Count is the world’s largest butterfly survey, which encourages people to spot and record 18 species of common butterflies and two day-flying moths during three weeks of high summer.

The count has been running since July 14, and continues until August 6, with events taking place across Cumbria.

During the count, events have been taking place at Undermillbeck Common near Windermere, Brantwood near Coniston Water and the Hay Bridge Nature Reserve in Bouth, Ulverston.

Butterfly Conservation President Sir David said: "The next few weeks are a vital period for our butterflies. They need to make the most of this chance to feed and breed.

"Last year, despite a warm summer, butterflies like the Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper saw their numbers fall as a warm winter and cold spring earlier in the year led to problems that affected their numbers later on.

"Worryingly, we are now seeing the fortunes of some of our once common butterflies mirror those of our rarest species and they too are now also suffering significant declines with butterflies declining more rapidly in urban areas than in the countryside.

"In the last decade our butterflies have experienced several poor years and although resilient, they simply cannot sustain repeated losses, especially if the habitats they need in order to rebuild their populations are also under threat."