On 15/12/2015 08:25, Dawlish wrote:
Sad, but fits with my observations and counts this summer. This was a poor year, especially for gatekeepers.

http://butterfly-conservation.org/48/news-and-blog.html

Periods of longer summer droughts, likely to be associated with UK climate change this century, may well exacerbate the problem.

Nature August 2015 (actually free to read!!)

http://bit.ly/1ml9ZiZ

It's disgrace. I think the neonicotinoids were recently banned but I
believe it may be under review. Gatekeepers were ok here last year but
with the bees as well it is very worrying. Interestingly I saw a Red
Admiral flying around the other day. They overwinter and you sometimes
disturb them in a shed but I've never seen one flying around in a field
this late before.
Dave