Wild Things columnist Eric Brown discovers the welcome reappearance of a once familiar butterfly on Chislehurst Common and suggests a visit if heavy spring showers finally relent.

Another spring with strong wind and heavy rain has been desperate for UK butterflies. Just like last year the weather set a trap for these insects with unseasonably warm weather towards late January and through February replaced by spring storms, torrential rain and plummeting temperatures.

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A record UK January temperature of 19.6C in Scotland on 28th was followed by the warmest February on record encouraging many butterflies onto the wing early. But that all changed to a spell of prolonged heavy rain, wind and storms.The temperature twice dipped below 8C in Greater London. A butterfly's life is short enough anyway without life-threatening conditions like these. As I write there seems no end to poor weather with farmers complaining they cannot plant crops with fields under water, rivers overflowing and hailstorms swamping London roads.

Not good news for hopes of a butterfly revival after shock statistics revealed in a national report. This found 80per cent of UK butterflies had declined since 1976 partly because of a catastrophic disappearance since 1945 of 98per cent of UK meadows.

My wretched butterfly list numbers just five species so far with a solitary red admiral the only one seen in my garden.

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However there is a sliver of hope. Sometime among the weather mayhem a small tortoiseshell was seen on Chislehurst Common, the first time it had been recorded there for many years.

The small tortoiseshell, once one of our most common garden butterflies, is following the trend described above with its declining numbers becoming a

national concern. I didn't see one at all last year so its reappearance on the common is important and exciting.

If you see one there please report it on info@chislehurstcommons.uk

Small tortoiseshell is usually one of the first butterflies to emerge after winter hibernation, feeds in gardens on buddleia, marigolds and Michaelmas daisies and has two broods in the south. They are most numerous in autumn but are susceptible to drought.

If the weather improves Chislehurst Common will be an excellent place to hunt butterflies. In recent years 27 of 57 UK resident species and two regular migrants have been seen there.

Events:

May 7 to 21: Biodiversity of Chislehurst Commons exhibition, Chislehurst Library.

May 12: Chislehurst car show, Chislehurst High Street featuring Chislehurst Commons stall and display.

May 22: Hutchinson's Bank London Wildlife Trust Reserve, near New Addington, Croydon. Organised wWalk to seek rare Glanville fritillary butterflies 11am to 3pm.

Further details of butterfly events on Butterfly Conservation website.