TV viewers will be able to follow the fortunes of five of the best known butterflies in the UK, including those on two National Trust sites in Somerset, during a special week of butterfly films on the One Show.

Each night from Bank Holiday Monday 25 August to Friday 29 August the One Show (7pm, BBC1) will be featuring TV wildlife expert Miranda Krestovnikoff as she tours around England alongside the National Trust’s butterfly expert Matthew Oates.

© National Trust

Together they’re seeking out the famous five, which include the common Cabbage White at Barrington Court and the Large Blue at Collard’s Hill in Somerset. This series co-incides with the 40th anniversary of the charity Butterfly Conservation.

Matthew Oates, National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor, explained:

'Yet some species have managed to overcome the odds and have had excellent flight seasons.  Overall, though, it has been a dreadful butterfly year, probably the worst in my 45 year experience.'

© Butterfly Conservation / Peter Eeles

Recent wet and cold summers have hit butterflies hard across the UK as they act as early warning indicators of our changing climate.

• Swallowtail butterfly – it’s not been a good year for our largest resident butterfly, probably due to the wet July in 2007 killing off young caterpillars.
• High Brown Fritillary butterfly – Heddon Valley, a National Trust site on the north Devon coast, is the last known location on Exmoor for this the fastest declining butterfly in Britain. Like many July butterflies, it was badly hit by the gale of 6 July and subsequent storms.  
• Purple Emperor butterfly – a good start to the season in late June was followed by strong winds in early July that seriously depleted numbers of this tree-top butterfly.

But recordings in Somerset show two of the native species are bucking the national downward trend:

• Large Blue butterfly – record numbers of people came to see this iconic butterfly at the National Trust's Collard’s Hill in Somerset during the summer of 2008. Early indications are that it’s been a good year for the Large Blue at this site.
• Cabbage White butterflies – This butterfly, frequently found in gardens, is thriving during wet summers – perhaps because pesticides are less effective. They’re also doing well at Barrington Court as they like laying their eggs on the nasturtiums in the formal and kitchen gardens – even above cabbages! The garden is also organic, so without pesticides their numbers are being allowed to flourish.

© Butterfly Conservation / Jim Asher

Matthew Oates continued: 'We can't take our butterflies for granted. It takes a lot of hard work by dedicated and passionate individuals to create the right landscape habitats for them to flourish in and this battle is being made much harder by the unpredictable spring and summer weather.'

For information on where to find butterflies within National Trust sites in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset, pick up one of our  South West Wildlife Maps at any National Trust house, gardens or park.

Alternatively call 01985 843 585 or email wx.customerenquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk and we’ll happily send one to you.