A garden in Kent has been described as a "successful micro-reserve" after it was found to host roughly a quarter of all UK butterfly species, offering a rare bright spot amid a broader decline in butterfly numbers. Great Comp Garden, near Sevenoaks, attributes the diversity to the space and variety of plants it provides, in contrast to typical gardens which usually attract far fewer species.

The site, at St Mary's Platt, is home to 16 species, compared with the five to ten typically found in an average garden. This comes against a backdrop of national decline, with overall butterfly abundance down by almost 20% since the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme began in 1976, as specialist species suffer from habitat loss and pesticide use. Senior gardener Kristyna Kay-Clough said the garden's varied planting, including nettles left to feed caterpillars, has created a wildlife-friendly environment where generalist and mobile species are "flourishing".