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Changes in UK butterfly populations, Non-specialists

Changes in butterfly populations are measured as an index relative to populations in their start year (1976 or 1990 depending on the species group).

197620191980199020002010UnsmoothedSmoothed

Source: UK Office for National Statistics; Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Note: Year-to-year fluctuations in butterfly numbers are often linked to natural environmental variation, especially weather (unsmoothed index). We therefore used a smoothed index to understand
underlying patterns of change.