Numbers of small tortoiseshell butterflies have increased 22 per cent in the last year to 63,238 according to the Big Butterfly Count. Butterflies have been in decline in recent years. In 2013, the population of this specific butterfly dropped by 77% during the last 10 years. Small tortoiseshell butterfly sightings were at their lowest this year, with only roughly 23,000 seen across the United Kingdom. These are some of Britain’s endangered animals and some you may not know! By Sandra Dick. The status is currently under review and will be released by June 2019. The striking and attractive patterning and its appearance at almost any time of the year in urban areas have made it a familiar species. Report for 2008/2009 Owen Lewis & Nia Hamer University of Oxford, Department of Zoology owen.lewis@zoo.ox.ac.uk Introduction In 2008, with the support of Butterfly Conservation, we launched a project to investigate whether a newly-colonised parasitoid fly might be to blame for recent declines in the Small Why is the Small Tortoiseshell declining? Prepona praeneste is the nominate, or main species, and buckleyana is the subspecies. Tortoiseshell butterfly. Underneath, they are camouflaged dark grey and brown. The small tortoiseshell is mainly reddish-orange in colour, with black and yellow markings on the forewings and a ring of blue spots around the edge of the wings. However, the small tortoiseshell butterfly was once one of the UK’s most common butterfly species but in 2013 it was reported that there had been a decline of 70% in the past 10 years. One of the commoner garden butterflies throughout the UK, the small tortoiseshell is bright orange and black with a row of blue crescents around the wing edges. Sign this petition to protect these butterflies from endangerment and extinction. However, the small tortoiseshell butterfly was once one of the UK’s most common butterfly species but in 2013 it was reported that there had been a decline of 70% in the past 10 years. Climate for change . However, in the last three to four years, there has been a population crash. Small tortoiseshell butterfly sightings were at their lowest this year, with only roughly 23,000 seen across the United Kingdom. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received a petition to list the Monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on August 26, 2014. The Most Endangered Animal Species in Britain Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly : Overall, butterfly populations have been decreasing in Britain, but the small tortoiseshell butterfly especially. Hedgehog The small tortoiseshell butterfly is bright orange and black with a row of blue crescents around the wings. One of the UK’s favourite butterflies – the Small Tortoiseshell, continued its fight back this summer after years of decline, despite enduring the coldest August since 1993, results from the Big Butterfly Count have revealed. The caterpillars feed on nettles, as do those of several Nymphalidae butterflies.When threatened, resting individuals rapidly open their wings, presenting the dramatic display of colors. In fact when we think about the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, it seems almost unimaginable that this animal could disappear from our back gardens, but if we don't act to reverse the current trend, that's exactly what's going to happen. Tortoiseshell butterfly. The Small Tortoiseshell is one of our most-familiar butterflies, appearing in gardens throughout the British Isles. The information that you provide will be held by People’s Trust for Endangered Species. You must be 18 or over. Like many rare or endangered butterflies, this animal is a subspecies of a kind of butterfly that isn't particularly rare, or has enough other variants as to make it fairly well-known. These are some of Britain’s endangered animals and some you may not know! Grasp the nettle: Plea to help and count endangered butterfly.