'Extinct' butterfly found across southern England

In recent weeks there have been a flurry of sightings of the large tortoiseshell in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset and Cornwall.

Prof Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, said: "We don't know why the butterfly was lost from Britain, so it's difficult to know why it has come back as well, but it's likely to be the climate that is pushing those increased numbers across its European range and we are benefitting."