Good news! The Large Tortoiseshell butterfly has been spotted in rare Dorset sighting

Good news! The Large Tortoiseshell butterfly is thriving once again in the UK, after new sightings in Portland, Dorset, confirm that the species is resident.

Over the past 70 years, sightings of the beautiful butterfly have been incredibly rare, with the species last officially recorded as being resident in the 1950s. Despite a disappearing habitat and decline of elm trees (its favoured food source), the butterfly is breeding once more.

Evidence of a breeding colony — egg shells and spent larval skins — were found in June last year, but local Gerry Hinde has spotted that one large orange butterfly survived the cold winter months.

"A large tortoiseshell... definitely no longer extinct in the UK", Gerry wrote on Twitter, along with a photograph of the beautiful butterfly. While previous sightings of the butterfly in the UK have been migrant of captive-bred stock species, this rare glimpse confirms that the eggs are able to survive the winter period.

Speaking to the Dorset Echo, Gerry said: "I hope this is the first of many sightings of the Large Tortoiseshell, in Portland, Dorset and beyond. A returning species of butterfly has to be really welcome news given the loss of natural habitat in recent times."

The Butterfly Conservation explained that the webs of its caterpillars have not been recorded for over 60 years: "The Large Tortoiseshell was once widespread across Britain and most common in the woodlands of central and southern England but while its numbers were always known to fluctuate, it declined to extinction by the 1960s."

Only slightly bigger than its cousin — the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly — the larger species does not have white marks on the edge of its wings.

With the weather warming up, now is the perfect time to keep an eye open for any rare butterflies you might spot outside. Don't forget your wildlife camera...

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