Flutter bye: the strange case of the disappearing urban butterfly

Butterflies are vanishing from cities even faster than in the countryside – from paving, pesticides or just plain heat. But some cities are luring them backThe purple plumes of railway-side buddleias are emptied of insects. A single white butterfly is dancing, alone, in a grassy park. Suburban gardens are unvisited by red admirals or small tortoiseshells.
The disappearance of butterflies from our countryside over the past half-century is well documented, but a new study warns that they are