ALT Aardman's Lloyd of the Flies promoting insect education and fundraising for Royal Entomological Society's Insect Week.

ALT Get involved this Insect Week - Join an event near you, organise your own event, take some photos and enter them into our insect photography competition and more. Visit InsectWeek.org.

ALT Large blue butterfly (c) David Simcox

ALT The Large blue was declared nationally extinct in 1979. Thanks to the unique expertise of our conservation science team we have reintroduced this rare species to Gloucestershire and Somerset. We now need your help to support the butterfly's survival, increasing its populations in a changing climate.

ALT This iconic butterfly is a globally endangered species. The caterpillar is a parasite of a Red ant, and the butterfly cannot survive without thriving ant colonies on each site. Over the course of the last ten years there have been several extreme weather events which have seen the populations of these and associated species decline. We can counter climate change impacts by adaptations to land management, and by identifying new Large blue introduction sites with greater climate change resilience

ALT Our team will carry out in-depth surveys of Large blues, ants and associated species to help us identify population trends and give evidence-based advice to land managers. We will use temperature dataloggers to measure soil and air temperature on both existing and potential Large blue sites. This will produce vital evidence of the impacts of extreme weather and help to prioritise new sites for introductions into landscapes with greater flexibility to prosper under a changing climate.

ALT Upskill volunteers to use the Coreo wildlife survey app, with data gathered feeding into our decade-long climate and species monitoring across Large blue sites. Monitor how volatile weather events and a warming climate affect populations using surveys and temperature data loggers to help make recommendations for reintroduction sites. Determine whether existing populations are robust enough for future re-introductions to new sites to increase the distribution and resilience of the species.

ALT RES conservation team members Sarah Meredith and David Simcox setting up the Large Blue Butterfly Committee Meeting presentations

ALT People sitting around tables for the Large Blue Committee presentation

ALT People sitting around tables and discussing items relating to the Large Blue Committee presentation

ALT Large Blue Butterfly Committee presentation slides

ALT Person wearing a light blue RES Large blue butterfly hoodie

ALT RES Large blue butterfly mug on a table surrounded by festive items

ALT Person wearing a cream RES Large blue butterfly hoodie

ALT RES Large Blue butterfly notebook on a table surrounded by festive items

ALT Wildflowers at Daneway Banks nature reserve in July 2020 Credit Jeremy Thomas

ALT Wildflowers at Daneway Banks nature reserve in July 2020 Credit Jeremy Thomas

ALT A large blue butterfly with beautiful detail on its wings and darker edges settles on a wild flower to feed. Shown in healthy grasslands full of flowers.

ALT A caterpillar surrounded by ants

ALT A large blue butterfly perched amongst grassland