We are one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, but with 30 million gardens in the UK, every small step we take to boost biodiversity can bring big changes

by LUCY HALL

Picture a butterfly and, if you’re over 50, you’re likely to conjure up one of our most common garden visitors, the small tortoiseshell – a flutter of rich orange wings, tipped in blue and striped yellow and brown.

On nettle patches, buddleia and scabious, this distinctive butterfly is on the wing most of the year, from Cornwall to the Shetlands, yet it has suffered rapid decline since 1976, its numbers down by 82%. Experts fear those born in the 70s could be the last generation to enjoy the familiar sight of its mercurial flit through our gardens.

As a species, it’s not alone in suffering a seismic drop in population, with half of all our butterflies at risk. Devastating habitat losses from intensive farming and development, along with pollution and climate change, could drive it – and over 20 other species, such as the Wood White and Large Heath – to extinction in the UK.

‘Butterflies are a key indicator species of the health of our environment,’ says broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, president of Butterfly Conservation since 1998. ‘If they are struggling, then many other species are struggling also.’ New research by environmental charity Garden Organic reveals that gardens are on the frontline in the battle for survival among much of the UK’s insect wildlife, from butterflies and moths to bees, beetles and other pollinators. The UK has the unenviable position of being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – behind even the polluting, industrial powerhouse of China and every other G7 nation. Since the 1970s, around 40% of our wildlife has disappeared, 16% of species are at risk and over 150 species are now extinct.