CHARITY'S ALERT OVER LIVE BUTTERFLIES RELEASED AS WEDDING CONFETTI

A WARNING has been sounded on the new fad for releasing captive-bred butterflies, imported from overseas, at weddings, funerals and other celebrations.

Says Dorset-based Butterfly Conservation: “Such releases may adversely affect initiatives to record native species because it is unlikely to be clear to recorders   whether sightings are truly wild or not.

“This has the potential to divert limited conservation resources as it complicates accurate mapping and conservation work.”

The charity  also has concerns about the potential threat to genetic integrity.

It continues: “Because released specimens have been bred in captivity, each generation of butterfly is more genetically suited to breeding in captivity than in the wild. 

“If released specimens breed with wild individuals, they have the potential to affect the genetic makeup of the species in the wild. 

“This may now only be a small risk, particularly in northern Europe where the species released do not survive the winter but, with global warming, it  is likely to increase.

The potential for spread of disease is another worry, with intensively-reared butterflies possibly passing on infection to wild species.

Butterfly Conservation adds: “We feel that using butterflies as confetti may encourage a dangerous attitude to boxing and transportation of wild creatures.”