EXPERTS from the Purbeck-based Butterfly Conservation charity say one of the UK’s best-loved butterflies is continuing to fight back after years of declining numbers.

The popular Small Tortoiseshell, whose population had declined by 78 per cent since the 1970s, saw numbers rise by almost a quarter last summer.

This is the highest ranking ever for the Small Tortoiseshell in the Big Butterfly Count, the world’s largest annual insect science survey.

Despite a warm July, August was the coldest for more than 20 years according to Met Office figures. This temperature drop had a knock-on effect for many of the country’s summer butterflies.

Butterfly Conservation surveys manager Richard Fox said: “After a good summer in 2013, the big question this year was whether butterflies would continue to recover and build up even greater numbers or slip back again.

“Thanks to another amazing turnout from the public, we know that the answer is a real mixture. The Small Tortoiseshell had a good year in 2013 and this seems to have acted as a springboard for the species, enabling it to increase massively again this summer.

“It is fantastic news for a species that has lost three-quarters of its population since the 1970s.”

The average number of individual butterflies seen per count dropped from 23 in 2013, to 15 in 2014. In all, 15 out of 21 of the target species decreased compared with 2013, only six species increased year-on-year.

The Large White was down by 65 per cent, the Small White down by 60 per cent and numbers of the Green-veined White dropped by 47 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Common Blue was up 55 per cent, Red Admiral up 43 per cent, Speckled Wood up 28 per cent and Small Tortoiseshell up 22 per cent.