Britain sees second-best butterfly season in 16 years; people counted almost 1.4 million common butterflies and moths; painted ladies jumped by 335%, but scientists are worried

Britain sees second-best butterfly season in 16 years; people counted almost 1.4 million common butterflies and moths; painted ladies jumped by 335%, but scientists are worried

The record heat of 2026 made this summer exceptional for butterfly-watching. More than 100,000 volunteers fanned across Britain with notebooks this summer, tallying nearly 1.4 million common butterflies and day-flying moths. This was the second-best butterfly season of the past 16 years, according to the Big Butterfly Count. Painted ladies surged by 335% compared with … Read more

Scientists tagged 14,000 endangered Australian moths with paint and eyelash glue to trace their migration; not one was found, and researchers say that may be good news

Scientists tagged 14,000 endangered Australian moths with paint and eyelash glue to trace their migration; not one was found, and researchers say that may be good news

Representative Image (AI-generated) More than 14,000 Bogong moths were tagged in an unusual attempt to uncover the secrets of one of Australia’s most remarkable insect migrations. Researchers marked the endangered moths in the Snowy Mountains and hoped to track where they travelled after leaving their summer shelters. Some were marked with non-toxic paint, while others … Read more