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What went well this year for nature and what could be better?

A large white butterfly at the Wimpole Estate on top of a pink flowerPA Media

Butterflies bounced back this year, but it's not all been great news for wildlife.

The National Trust charity, which works to protect and conserve nature, has given their take on the health of the UK's natural world in 2025.

Their report says it's been a hot, dry year, where extreme weather of floods and fires has become more normal.

Whilst the National Trust say this isn't good news for lots of our wildlife, some species have had a better year, like butterflies and beavers.

The charity's head of nature conservation Ben McCarthy has said that "there is hope. Where we've restored rivers, wetlands and peatlands, nature has shown remarkable resilience."

More nature stories:

A beaver sniffing a plant in the wildPA Media

Beavers have been reintroduced into parts of England this year

The report says that 2025 has been one of several drought years for the UK, which means there's not been enough rainfall.

This has affected wildlife, it says, as some plants and animals have been unable to cope with the heat and lack of water.

Wildfires have also broken out, with a record 47,000 hectares of land burnt in the UK this year.

WATCH: Emma-Louise visits West Lothian in Scotland, which saw a large wildfire this year, to find out why they happen (from May 2025)

Although the long warm season, which had the warmest and sunniest spring on record, did mean that 2025 was a mast year.

A mast year is when some trees and shrubs produce more crops than usual, for example more fruit and nuts.

Animals like hazel dormice benefitted from this, as they were able to munch on these snacks to fatten up.

A black and white small bird, the pied flycatcher, sat atop a tree branchPA Media

The pied flycatcher was another animal that had a good year, with more of the birds seen in Chirk Castle, Wales, and Longshaw in the Peak District

There's lots of work being done all around the country to help protect nature from drier and more extreme weather conditions.

The National Trust are planting trees that can cope better with drought in Eryri, the mountain range in Wales also known as Snowdonia.

Continuing to restore habitats like beaver ponds and wetlands can also help to combat some of the changes seen in 2025, it hopes.

Ben from the National Trust hopes that in 2026, this work "can give wildlife and landscapes the lifeline they need".