Public urged to record butterflies

A wildlife charity is urging the public to make a note of any butterflies they see this month. Butterfly Conservation hopes to build up a better picture of the country's butterflies.

Seven out of 10 butterfly species are in decline in the UK and half could become extinct, owing to bad summer weather, loss of habitat and intensive farming – which have also made it hard, particularly for rarer species like the purple emperor, left, to move around.

For more information about the count, log on to www.bigbutterflycount.org