The Elephant
The climate change and environmental emergency: a comprehensive resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens
The ElephantThe climate change and environmental emergency: a comprehensive resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens
‘This year has been dead’: where have Britain’s insects gone?
2024-08-15 in The GuardianSurveys suggest that wet weather and habitat deterioration are among the causes of devastating population declines, but there are ways to help
Tagged under: Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Low butterfly and moth numbers in NI cause concern
2024-08-02 in The BBCConservationists say figures are worse due to the wet spring and late arrival of summer temperatures.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths
‘Warning sign to us all’ as UK butterfly numbers hit record low
2024-07-29 in The GuardianConservation charity raises alarm over climate crisis after wet spring and summer dampen mating chances
Tagged under: Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Country diary: An alarmingly bad day searching for butterflies | Jennifer Jones
2024-07-20 in The GuardianGreen Beach, Sefton coast, Merseyside: It was a glorious day in a biodiversity hotspot that’s full of different habitats – where were they all?
Tagged under: Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Researchers uncover concerning trend that could endanger entire communities: 'The global food supply could fail'
2024-07-15 by in The Cool DownResearchers are sounding the alarm on the impact of climate change on plant's pollination patterns in the Great Basin.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths
Where are all the butterflies this summer? Their absence is telling us something important | Tony Juniper
2024-07-13 in The GuardianThis isn’t down to one wet, cold British spring but a disturbing longer-term decline in Britain’s insects. Thankfully, we can help, says the campaigner Tony Juniper
Tagged under: Bees | Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Air pollution threatens key crop pollinators, study finds
2024-07-11 by in thenewlede.orgBy Shannon Kelleher Air pollution jeopardizes bees and other pollinators essential for food production, according to a new study that sheds light on a significant but underrecognized threat to beneficial insects. In a study published Thursday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers found that bees, as well as some moths and butterflies, became about a third less efficient at foraging for food, on average, after exposure to elevated air pollution levels. The findings were based on an analysis of data from 120 scientific papers on how 40 types of insects respond to ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and parti...
Tagged under: Bees | Insects | Butterflies and Moths
Effects of climate change on Lepidoptera pollen loads and their pollination services in space and time - Oecologia
2024-03-25 in Springer VerlagShifts in flowering time among plant communities as a result of climate change, including extreme weather events, are a growing concern. These plant phenological changes may affect the quantity and quality of food sources for specialized insect pollinators. Plant–pollinator interactions are threatened by habitat alterations and biodiversity loss, and changes in these interactions may lead to declines in flower visitors and pollination services. Most prior research has focused on short-term plant–pollinator interactions, which do not accurately capture changes in pollination services. Here, we characterized long-term ...
Tagged under: Insects | Biodiversity Loss | Butterflies and Moths | Drought
Weatherwatch: how solar farms benefit bees and butterflies
2024-03-01 in The GuardianResearch shows pollinating insects thrive in solar parks, particularly where a variety of plants are flourishing
Tagged under: Insects | Bees | Butterflies and Moths
Scientists concerned about effect air pollution has on critical pollinators: 'A bit scary to see the results'
2024-02-29 by in The Cool DownA study reveals air pollution is eroding floral scents essential to pollinators like moths, confusing their ability to locate wildflower nectar.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths
The number of monarch butterflies at their Mexico wintering sites has plummeted this year
2024-02-07 in Associated Press NewsExperts say the number of monarch butterflies at wintering areas in Mexico dropped by 59% this year to the second lowest level since record keeping began.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths | Mexico
Of Moths and Marsupials - bioGraphic
2023-05-04 (or before) in bioGraphic | Revealing Nature // Inspiring SolutionsThe ancient relationship between the mountain pygmy possum and the bogong moth reveals the complexity of global climate change—and the lengths people may have to go to save some species from extinction.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Butterflies and Moths | Extinction
Honey bee life spans are 50 percent shorter today than they were 50 years ago: A drop in longevity for lab-kept honey bees could help explain colony losses and lower honey production in recent decades
2022-12-23 (or before) in Science DailyA new study by entomologists shows that the lifespan for individual honey bees kept in a controlled, laboratory environment is 50% shorter than it was in the 1970s. As the first study to show an overall decline in honey bee lifespan potentially independent of environmental stressors, this work hints that genetics may be influencing the broader trends of higher colony turnover rates seen in the beekeeping industry.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects | Food Production and Consumption
Pesticide use around world almost doubles since 1990, report finds
2022-10-18 in The GuardianAgricultural chemicals drive falls of 30% in populations of field birds and butterflies, says Pesticide Atlas
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Insect Populations
Warmer Earth could see smaller butterflies that struggle to fly, affecting food systems
2022-09-15 in news.ubc.caNew UBC research has shown warmer temperatures can lead to smaller butterflies that collect less pollen and visit fewer flowers.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths
Butterflies released in Finland contained parasitic wasps – with more wasps inside
2021-09-14 in The GuardianIntroduction of Glanville fritillary leads to emergence of three new species on to Baltic Sea island
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
LED streetlights decimating moth numbers in England
2021-08-25 in The Guardian‘Eco-friendly’ lights found to be worse than sodium ones – but both contribute to insect decline, says study
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
The insect apocalypse: ‘Our world will grind to a halt without them’
2021-07-25 in The GuardianInsects have declined by 75% in the past 50 years – and the consequences may soon be catastrophic. Biologist Dave Goulson reveals the vital services they perform
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects
Pioneering rewilding project faces ‘catastrophe’ from plan for new houses
2021-03-21 in The GuardianStorks, butterflies and turtle doves could all suffer at the Knepp estate in West Sussex
Tagged under: Birds | Housing | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Rewilding
Butterfly numbers plummeting in US west as climate crisis takes toll
2021-03-04 in The GuardianThe total number of butterflies west of the Rockies has fallen 1.6% a year since 1977, a study finds – ‘You extrapolate it and it’s crazy’
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
The State Of Britain's Moths
2021-03-03 (or before) in Butterfly ConservationThe State of Britain’s Larger Moths 2021 report is now available. This new report summarises current knowledge of the state of Britain’s c.900 species of larger moths, presenting analyses of long-term change based on millions of records gathered through the Rothamsted Insect Survey (RIS) and National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS). Key findings: The total abundance of larger moths caught in the RIS light-trap network in Britain decreased by 33% over 50 years (1968–2017). Losses were greater in the southern half of Britain (39% decrease) than in the northern half (22%). Long-term abundance ...
Tagged under: Climate Change | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Biodiversity Loss
'A cause for worry': Mexico's monarch butterflies drop by 26% in year
2021-02-25 in The GuardianButterflies had bad year after four times as many trees were lost to illegal logging and extreme climate conditions
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Mexico | Trees
Discovery of 'cryptic species' shows Earth is even more biologically diverse
2020-12-25 in The GuardianExcitement as DNA barcoding technique leads to unmasking of new species tempered with fear that some are already at risk of extinction
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects | Extinction
Record low number of British butterflies baffles scientists
2020-09-28 in The GuardianAnnual Big Butterfly Count shows big falls in peacocks and small tortoiseshells
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
Halve UK pesticide use to save insects, say conservationists
2020-07-08 in The GuardianWildlife Trusts report also calls for expansion of projects such as flower-rich road verges and butterfly reintroductions
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects
Mexico: defender of monarch butterflies found dead two weeks after he vanished
2020-01-30 in The GuardianActivists say death of Homero Gómez González found floating in a well could be over illegal logging disputes
Tagged under: Activism | Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Mexico
Immediate, science-based community action can stop insect decline
2020-01-06 (or before) in Phys.org - News and Articles on Science and TechnologyThis year, German environmentalists collected 1.75 million signatures for a 'save the bees' law requiring an immediate transition toward organic farming. But to create healthy ecosystems worldwide, people in communities across the globe will need to take similar action based on empathy for insects—and not only for bees and butterflies—according to entomologists Yves Basset from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Greg Lamarre from the University of South Bohemia, writing in Science. The authors present immediate, science-based actions to mitigate insect decline.
Tagged under: Farming | Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects | Health
The butterfly effect: what one species’ miraculous comeback can teach us
2019-05-27 in The GuardianThe Duke of Burgundy is back from the brink – and the work to conserve it has helped other declining species. Does this mean there is hope in the face of Insectageddon?
Tagged under: Wildlife | Butterflies and Moths | Insects
Butterfly numbers fall by 84% in Netherlands over 130 years – study
2019-04-01 by Patrick Barkham in The GuardianEuropean insect populations shrink as farming leaves ‘hardly any room for nature’
Tagged under: Farming | Agriculture | Biodiversity Loss | Insect Populations | Butterflies and Moths | Wildlife | Insects
Over a century of data reveal more than 80% decline in butterflies in the Netherlands - ScienceDirect
2019-04-01 (or before) in ScienceDirect.comTagged under: Butterflies and Moths
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