www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

...but will these reports ever learn to do just a modicum of research....

I dont know where they get this info from, its been one of the worst years for Common Blue ive known

in 2018 i had 667 on the Hutchinsons Bank Transect, so far in 2019 its only 104. it needs a massive August and September to match last years total.

2017 388 were seen, although in 2016 only 84 were seen, 2015 326 were seen, 2014 504 were seen.

they cant even get the correct picture either.

They also mentioned this on the Newspaper review on BBC News Channel last night.

If it was a football match between the Small Blues and the Common Blues the score would be 1404 to 104 this year, thats a thumping defeat.

The Daily Mail up to its usual accuracy and honesty !

Jenks.

Perhaps they mean Adonis Blue given that's the butterfly depicted?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... cline.html

At least they get the right pics in main article. I have to agree with MrSp0ck though, I've not seen many Common Blues this year at all. I'd hazard an educated guess and say around 50% down on last year but then that is just in my small corner of the UK.

This story was widely reported in real newspapers too, and I guess this was the source https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/blue-butterfly-boom-in-summer-heatwave

I'm not going to stoop so low as to read the Daily Mail article, but I presume they are referring to the Butterfly Conservation August e-mail newsletter that I received this morning. It says what a bumper year 2018 was and hopes for a repeat in 2019. Presumably it was written before the current weather system moved in!