Global warming and excess nitrogen may induce butterfly decline by microclimatic cooling

Global warming may explain the current poleward shift of species distributions. However, paradoxically, climatic warming can lead to microclimatic cooling in spring by advancing plant growth, an effect worsened by excess nitrogen. We suggest that spring‐developing but thermophilous organisms, such as butterflies hibernating as egg or larva, are particularly sensitive to the cooling of microclimates. Using published data on butterfly trends in...