Excitement after endangered butterfly is found at four new sites in Wales - Butterfly Conservation
One of the rarest butterflies in the UK appears to be recolonising Wales decades after the last population died out.
Butterfly Conservation has recorded the endangered Wood White at four sites in Powys this summer - including a female laying eggs.
The species used to have a permanent colony in south-east Wales but that died out several decades ago and there have only been sporadic sightings since.
Butterfly Conservation says the new arrivals have almost certainly come from sites just over the border in Shropshire where it has been doing targeted conservation work to maintain Wood White populations in England.
Butterfly Conservation Head of Conservation for Wales Alan Sumnall said: "This is really exciting news for us: butterflies have suffered terribly in recent years because of human actions, but now we have a real success story - a new species for Wales - and what's more it's the result of fantastic, targeted conservation work by our team.”
Posted On: 13/08/2025
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