The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a natural climate fluctuation that has a considerable
influence on the weather in Scandinavia, western Europe and the Mediterranean. The NAO
influences the direction of travel of autumn and winter storms and depressions across the
North Atlantic and has been shown to have an effect on a range of species as diverse as Red
Deer, Soay Sheep, Cod and marine Copepods. Here we consider whether the NAO can also
control the population size of butterflies in the UK