The impact of European urbanisation on moths and butterflies

Urbanisation puts modern pressures on ecosystems and the living things within them. New research has looked at the impact on two species of Lepidoptera – the Small Heath butterfly, Coenonympha pamphilus, and the Latticed Heath moth, Chiasmia clathrata. The work showed that in trying to understand the effects of the changing cityscape on insect life, we need to not only consider the modern environment in which species find themselves, but the pre-urban populations and their effect on the next generation.