www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

The impact of the Covid-19 regulations upon us has been written about. Will there be an impact upon butterflies in a positive or a negative way?

As a total novice I would have assumed not but then I start reading about goats and deer invading towns, clearer waters and less pollution in the sky and I marvel at how in such a short space of time nature can change when humans are forced to alter their lifestyles.

Less people out trampling on plants, undergrowth, caterpillars and butterflies, people not buying nectar plants for their gardens, people not able to go out and manage butterfly habitats, crops possibly not being picked and the aforementioned environmental changes are just a few changes I could think of.

I am reading the Patrick Barkham book 'The Butterfly Isles' and I noted how quite a few species are quite sensitive to change.

It's an interesting question, for sure. You can make arguments either way. On the one hand, the most damaging practices are not likely to stop for Covid-19 (large-scale pesticide use). On the other, this has very obviously put a bump in the road ahead of climate change, and it seems possible that the "exit strategy" from all the disruption might allow for some longer-term societal improvements.

My biggest concern at a local scale is that it may be challenging for graziers to do their bit in maintaining habitats this summer. My biggest hope is that road verges might be mown a bit less enthusiastically!