The females are usually brown above, with a shimmer of blue and orange spots. The distinctive species beat 139 other butterfly types, which were subsequently whittled down to 24, then 12.

Native to the rainforests of Mexico, Central America and South America, this bright blue butterfly has a short but stunning life. It is thought that the colour helps the males to mark their ...

Butterfly Conservation said the Prees Heath Common nature reserve, near Whitchurch, was the last sanctuary in the Midlands for the Silver-studded Blue, which had declined 44% since the 1980s.