Bumblebee and Butterfly Numbers Are Being Affected By Unsettled Weather

A decade of unsettled weather has taken a very significant toll on the population of butterflies and bumblebees, and 2016 seems to be one of the worst years according to the National Trust. Mild winters and bad weather during the summer time have started to become the norm which in turn has had a profound impact on many species.

While the insects have suffered from the unsettled weather conditions, grass growth has been experiencing rise, which translates to a good year for both farmers and their livestock. According to the trust, "conservationists and farmers must work together."

The report also indicates that the U.K. has not had a good summer since 2006. Matthew Oates, a specialist for the National Trust, says 2016 "comes on top of an unsettled decade." He also pointed out how several species have been struggling due to climate change and intensive farming practices. "When you do get weather during the brighter months of the year it's almost inevitably short-lived and finished with something nasty", he added.

Warm, wet conditions during the months of May and June led to a surge in grass growth which practically squeezed out plants and wildflowers, thereby creating poor conditions for the insects which use them as a food source. Specific trust sites such as Lyles Cary, Somerset, have seen bumblebee numbers drop by as much as 85 percent when grass growth caused wildflowers to become swamped.

Meadow butterflies in Purbeck, Dorset have also suffered. Marbled white butterfly numbers have gone down by 73 percent from the previous year. Common blue butterflies have also gone down by 23 percent, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

According to a report published by the BBC, the grey seal population at Blakeney Point has been thriving despite these unfavorable conditions. Their population went from having only 100 pups born in 2004 to 2,432 by January 2016. Farne Island grey seals also saw an increase in the birth of pups as there were 1,879 of them born in 2016.