Children chasing butterflies are a rare sight nowadays. But it’s not only because kids have swapped countryside walks for electronic tablets.
The number of these delicate creatures is dwindling across Europe and Malta.
Recent reports have blamed the decline in species on urban sprawl, intensive farming and changing climate across the continent.
Even in Malta butterflies are decreasing, some alarmingly
In the United Kingdom, the National Trust’s Matthew Oates – who is celebrating his 50th butterfly season this year – said that some once-common butterflies now require “major expeditions” to find, as changes to the countryside have affected species in the past half century.
“Even in Malta butterflies are decreasing, some alarmingly,” environmentalist Alfred Baldacchino told Times of Malta.
“The Small Copper (Farfett tas-Selq) has most probably disappeared, and the Meadow Brown (Kannella Kbir) has become so rare that it is a relief when one is seen.”
According to Mr Baldacchino there are many reasons for the disappearance of butterflies from the Maltese islands.
“The spraying of chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides and pesticides is perhaps the top of the list. The destruction of habitats, urban sprawl and climate change give an additional push towards extinction.
“The lack of appreciation of Maltese wildlife, the laissez-faire and lack of proactive attitude to save Maltese biodiversity seals not only the butterflies’ fate, but also all other wildlife,” he noted.
All species were in danger and if it was not for the migratory ones, few butterflies would be seen in Malta.
According to butterfly expert Paul Sammut, the decrease has been brought about mainly by the loss of habitat, and consequently, its larval food plant.
The dwindling and even disappearance of butterfly species is an ongoing phenomenon in Europe. If a particular species present in several countries is negatively affected in one country, there would be a parallel pattern in the other countries, the lepidopterist noted.
In Malta there are some 23 butterfly species, which include migratory and resident or indigenous ones. Most on the island are migratory, usually flying over from North Africa.
The Golden Danaid, which has for the past 15 years visited the islands, usually in small numbers, does not breed here as its food plant is very rare or non-existent. Most of the other migratory species, including the Bath White, Clouded Yellow, Red Admiral and Painted lady which visit in much larger numbers, find their favourite food plant and manage to produce one or more broods.
Species like the Cabbage White, known in Maltese as Farfett tal-Kaboċċi, and the Small Cabbage White, or Farfett tal-Kromb, which can be considered indigenous, have greatly increased through migration.
When it comes to the indigenous insects, the family of butterflies known as the Lycaenidae, or the Small Blues, is made up of seven species.
Of these, the Brown Argus and the Small Copper are considered extinct from Malta and have not been recorded by lepidopterists for the last 10 years. A decrease in the population of the other five species has been noted.
Another important indigenous family is the Satyridae, or the Browns, represented in Malta by four species. The Speckled Wood, or Kannella tad-Dell, and the Wall Butterflies (Kannella tax-Xemx) have suffered a lot and are difficult to come by in the natural habitat, namely shaded areas in valleys or under trees.
The Small Heath has disappeared from most of its known haunts, while the endemic subspecies of the Meadow Brown is practically extinct from Malta but still widely distributed in small isolated populations on Gozo, Mr Sammut said.
But not all news is bad. Our endemic subspecies of the Common Swallowtail (Farfett tal-Fejġel or tal-Bużbież), has remained fairly stable since most of its foodplant – the wild fennel – is common in our countryside.