'Butterfly bomb' as estate enjoys population surge

A charity that looks after a large Essex estate has spotted almost half of the UK's butterfly species this year, despite recent significant population declines.

In 2022, Butterfly Conservation reported that numbers had dropped by 80% since the 1970s.

David Finkle, chief executive of Markshall, in Coggeshall, said: "This year we have seen a butterfly bomb... It's almost like a cannon of butterflies has exploded, and they're absolutely everywhere."

Of the 59 butterfly species present in the UK, the charity has spotted 28 on its 2,200 acres so far this year.

"We have a volunteer who is a bit of a butterfly specialist and he's very, very dedicated," said Mr Finkle.

"He quietly appears at different times of the day and you can see his little hat in the distance where you see him going through all of our long grass and meadows.

"He carefully takes his time trying to spot the butterflies and document them."

The species include the rare purple emperor – something Mr Finkle said he was "ecstatic" about.

"It's really rewarding for the whole team when everybody's working on conservation methods and going about their day-to-day business," he said.

"It felt like that we'd found the Holy Grail when we got the purple emperors.

"We found a cluster of them where they were feeding on the sap that was leaking out of one of our oak trees, and it's just an amazing thing – those few seconds where you witness improvement in the biodiversity.

"It's what we're here for. We're custodians of the land and we work hard to conserve and preserve."

The charity looks after 200 acres of arboretum and gardens as well as 2,000 acres of ancient woodlands and tenanted farmland.

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