Commonness and Rarity in British Butterflies

Commonness and rarity among British butterflies have been examined by relating features of biology and ecology to geographical distribution. No single attribute totally differentiates between common and rare species. However, several characteristics which are correlated with abundance appear likely to influence the capacity of species to exploit the artificial, disturbed and productive habitats which have been created by modem land-use and now occupy much of the landscape. Several features of geographical distribution, perhaps indicative of climatic tolerance are also correlated with abundance