This beautiful animal is officially no longer extinct in the UK

If you see vibrant orange wings fluttering around your nearby elm or willow tree, you might be witnessing a beautiful butterfly revival. According to the Butterfly Conservation, the once-instinct large tortoiseshell butterfly is back, baby! 

The creature’s extinction in the UK, first declared in the 1960s, was partially blamed on Dutch elm disease. But now, lepidopterists (the people who study moths and butterflies) think that the UK may just be the northern border of the species’ range, and that global heating and climate change have helped trigger their return. 

Early sightings of the insect have been recorded across woodlands in Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight, enabling the Butterfly Conservation to formally recognise it as a native UK species for the first time in the charity’s 58 year history. The addition brings the total number of native butterflies in Britain to 60.  

How do you know if you’ve spotted one of these bright-coloured beauts? Unlike its smaller sibling, large tortoiseshell butterflies don’t have white markings on their wings, and reside in trees like elm, willow, aspen or poplar, as opposed to lower shrubs and flowers. 

Professor Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, said: ‘This is great news about a beautiful and charismatic butterfly: if the individuals that are being seen can survive and reproduce then there's no downside to the large tortoiseshell coming back, and we can look at what we might be able to do to help it.’

It’s still unknown whether the large tortoiseshell’s return is a permanent one, but for now, we’re just happy to see it back. If you do happen to see one, the Butterfly Conservation requests that you log report the observation on the free citizen science app, iRecord, which will assist in tracking the species’ location and population.

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