Wildlife-friendly farming measures support butterflies from caterpillar to adult (Photo: UKCEH by Nadine Mitschunas)
Wildlife-friendly measures on English farms are providing vital food and breeding habitats for butterflies throughout their life cycle, new research has revealed.
Scientists found that agri-environment schemes (AES) help support butterflies from caterpillar to adult, offering fresh evidence of the benefits of nature-friendly farming.
Measures such as grassy field margins, wildflower strips and grassland management were found to provide important resources for butterflies, highlighting the value of maintaining diverse habitats across farmland.
Researchers from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Butterfly Conservation and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) examined how environmental farming practices influence butterfly populations.
The study analysed butterflies, flowering plants and habitats across agricultural landscapes in six regions of England.
It found that areas managed under agri-environment schemes generally supported more flowers, greater plant diversity and higher butterfly numbers, alongside a wider range of species.
Crucially, the benefits extended beyond nectar sources for adult butterflies to include plants needed by caterpillars during their development.
Butterflies whose caterpillars feed on grasses were also more common in areas with greater grass cover, providing further evidence of the importance of grassy habitats.
Scientist recording butterflies along a fixed walk on farmland (Photo: UKCEH)
Agri-environment schemes support farmers and land managers who adopt conservation measures, including creating flower-rich margins, managing grasslands and maintaining wildlife habitats.
While previous studies have linked these schemes with increased butterfly numbers, researchers say the latest findings help explain why they work.
UKCEH senior ecologist and study co-author Dr Joanna Staley said: "We've known for some time that agri-environment schemes can benefit butterflies, but this research helps explain why."
She said the findings increased confidence that nature-friendly farming could make a meaningful contribution to wildlife recovery.
Lead author Hannah Risser, from Lancaster University, highlighted the importance of providing habitats that meet butterflies' needs throughout their development.
"This highlights the importance of providing a wide range of habitats and food plants, rather than simply focusing on flowers for adult butterflies," she said.
The findings could be particularly important for species that have experienced significant population declines in recent decades.
Dr Lisbeth Hordley, a postdoctoral researcher at Butterfly Conservation and study co-author, identified Small Heath, Gatekeeper and Small Skipper as species that could benefit from targeted conservation measures.
All three have experienced substantial declines in abundance since the 1970s, with grassy field margins potentially providing essential food plants for their caterpillars.
Dr Hordley said the research could help inform future agri-environment scheme options aimed at reversing butterfly declines and supporting the Government's biodiversity targets for 2030.
The study drew on UKCEH's Landscape-scale species monitoring of agri-environment schemes (LandSpAES) programme.
By combining years of field surveys with advanced statistical analysis, researchers examined how environmental measures influence wildlife across wider farm landscapes rather than individual fields.
The findings suggest that maintaining a mixture of habitats can help farmers support biodiversity while continuing productive agricultural activity.
However, scientists say further monitoring is needed to establish whether these benefits translate into sustained increases in butterfly populations.
UKCEH is now revisiting the same farmland sites, with monitoring scheduled to conclude in 2029.