The number of bees and butterflies fell across the UK this year due to "pulses of unsettled weather".

In its 10th annual appraisal of the UK's wildlife and weather, the National Trust said 2016's mild winter, cold spring and wet conditions in May and June led to a bumper year for grass growth.

While the conditions spelt good news for farmers making hay and silage, they created difficult conditions for small plants and wildflowers that were squeezed out, as well as the insects that feed on them.

At Lytes Cary, a National Trust site in Somerset, bumblebee numbers plummeted by 85% on the previous year as wildflowers in field margins were outgrown by grass.

Image: The number of wasps also appears to have sharply fallen over recent years

Meanwhile, the number of marbled white meadow butterflies fell by 73% at National Trust Purbeck in Dorset.


National Trust nature and wildlife specialist Matthew Oates said a number of species were "struggling in the face of climate change and more intensive farming practices".

He said: "In the 10 years we've been reviewing wildlife at our places we've noticed pulses of unsettled weather become the norm."

Image: The report highlighted a fall in the number of marbled white meadow butterflies

Mr Oates added: "When you do get good weather during the brighter months of the year, it's almost inevitably short-lived and finished with something nasty.

"During the brightest months, we do seem to be getting more extreme weather events, most of which aren't nice."

According to the report, wasp numbers also appear to have sharply fallen in many places over recent years.

Their absence could have a negative impact on the food chain, as they play a useful role eating pests and providing food for other species.