Our Wild Things columnist Eric Brown reports a hedgerow resident topped the annual nationwide butterfly count which worryingly recorded its worst sightings figures since starting 13 years ago.

Back in July I warned that the Big Butterfly Count then about to start was unlikely to reveal much good news.

So it should surprise no-one that the largest citizen science project of its kind found further declines in numbers of our much loved Lepidoptera. The nationwide Butterfly Conservation survey produced the worst counts by volunteers in its 13-year history. Despite spending a total equivalent to two-and-a-half years searching, volunteers spotted only nine butterflies each in 15-minute sessions between July 15 and August 7.

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Just over 100,000 counts were submitted which established declines in favourites such as red admiral, small white and meadow brown. This alarming trend was softened slightly by increased sightings of common and holly blue while gatekeeper topped the poll with sightings increasing by 59 per cent.

Loss of habitat is thought to be responsible for many declines and it is surprising that the hedgerow-resident gatekeeper is maintaining its numbers despite hedges being ripped out on farms.

Meanwhile the new butterfly Red List includes Adonis blue.

This species, symbol of the Kent Wildlife Trust, has moved from near-threatened to threatened, a fate shared by the spectacular swallowtail. The most threatened include large heath, Scotch argus and northern brown argus while mountain ringlet and dark green fritillary are on the near-threatened list. Grayling has moved from vulnerable to endangered.

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You might have expected July sunshine and soaring temperatures to provide butterflies with a lift but the opposite seems to be true. No reason has been positively established for numbers shrinking but prolonged dry spells can cause plants which supply butterflies with nectar to whither and die unless roots remain moist.

Further scalding summers may devastate butterfly numbers further unless those charged with saving the planet get their fingers out. Cop 27 in Egypt turned out to be more like cop-out. Targets to reduce emissions from Indian and Chinese factories, to stop new mines being opened in Australia, to stop destruction of carbon-munching Brazilian forest to reduce fossil fuel use and to improve on the 1.5 global emission target figure were quickly forgotten when some bright spark came up with a nice little earner. Much of the remaining time was occupied by delegates discussing how richer nations should fund poorer island countries in their battle against rising sea levels. I can think of one island nation which should be near top of the handout list as it has massive debts and a coastline crumbling under sea incursion. We all live in it!