Large Skipper News Today

Research shows that the numbers of butterflies in meadows and pastures of Europe are in a continuous decline. Grassland butterflies will soon play an even greater role in EU nature conservation legislation. Based on the occurrences and population trends of butterflies, the member states are supposed to document the progress they have made in implementing the planned Nature Restoration Law.

Some threatened UK butterfly species are showing signs of recovery despite an overall decline, annual records have shown.

What had been suspected for half a century, that butterflies dont just flap their wings, but clap them together. theirflexible wings bending to form a cup, or a pocket, of air. when they collapse, this thrust is even stronger and more efficient. its only now thanks to modern technology and a swedish wind tunnel that we can see it. its a challenge to work with any living flying animal but with butterflies its maybe even more because they are smaller, they are fast in their behaviour, difficult to...

If you look at their wings, you can see they are very large and broad compared to the size of their body and arent considered to be very aerodynamic. but this to make of clapping and cupping now appears to have given them an evolutionary advantage. thinking is this technique developed by the humble butterfly could be applied to modern tech allergy to make drones and underwater vehicles faster, travel further and last for longer. laura foster, bbc news. just a reminder that later today in washing...

Theres been a news story developing lately in the commonwealth of massachusetts, but to see it, to fully take it in, you have to slow down, get off the grid and be very quiet. its like the old expression about stopping to smell the roses, but in this case, its about butterflies. and these butterflies may be on to something bigger than even massachusetts. we get the story tonight from our chief environmental affairs correspondent anne thompson. >> reporter: in this lush garden of verbena, butterf...

Notebook under the bench. from september 2007 -- >> we had ten common checkered skippers and -- >> reporter: this is a southern species. >> yes, this is a southern species, a fiery skipper. >> reporter: this year, the buzz is all about the giant swallow tails, common in the deep south. >> have you ever seen 108 giant swallow tails in a season? >> not in my whole life, nevermind one season. >> reporter: like the butterflies they note, some may consider these club members accidentals too, accident...

Light in florida and texas than new england. >> we call them accidentals. in the old days, you would see perhaps one or two fiery skippers, and now you see dozens. >> reporter: the shift of southern butterflies to the increasingly warmer north is detailed in the journal nature. harvard professor greg breed is the studys lead scientist. >> we see the species that are more adapted to warmer clients are increasing, and species that are adapting to colder climates are decreasing. it seems sensible t...