An endangered butterfly that was once extinct in the UK has had its best summer in 150 years.

The large blue butterfly is one of Europe’s most endangered insects but thousands have been recorded this summer in south-west England.

It is the result of a long-term conservation project, led by the Royal Entomological Society.

Scientists said the success story shows how species at risk of extinction can be saved.

Many other rare species also benefitted from the conservation work across around 40 sites in Somerset and in the Cotswolds.

The large blue was declared extinct in the UK in 1979. Four years later caterpillars were brought from Sweden in an attempt to reintroduce the species in England.

Research ecologist David Simcox, one of the duo who reintroduced the butterfly in 1983, said it was “incredibly satisfying” to see them now thriving.

Gashaka-Gumti National Park is located in a mountainous region of North-east Nigeria adjacent to the international border with Cameroon, and immediately to the North of the Mambilla plateau.

No roads cross this remote region and only a few lonely footpaths wind through the forested mountains towards Cameroon.

Visitors to the park are able to enjoy lush forests, wide sweeping grasslands, cool highland plateaus, rugged moody mountains, abundant wildlife, and fascinating ethnic cultures, all combined within a single protected area.

There are few other places in the world that contain such spectacular scenery and such diverse wildlife. The hidden corner of west Africa that is Gashaka-Gumti National Park is surely one of the continent’s best kept secrets.

Gashaka-Gumti National Park, the largest park in Nigeria, covers 6,731 sq km of wilderness.

The park’s name is derived from two of the region’s oldest and most historic settlements: Gashaka village in Taraba State, and Gumti village in Adamawa State. Gashaka-Gumti National Park was created by Federal Decree in 1991 by the merging of Gashaka Game Reserve with Gumti Game Reserve.

The Northern, Gumti sector of the park is relatively flat and covered with woodlands and grasslands, whilst the Southern, Gashaka sector is more mountainous and contains vast expanses of rainforest as well as areas of woodlands and montane grassland.

This rugged terrain is characterised by steep, thickly forested slopes, deep plunging valleys, precipitous escarpments and swiftly flowing rivers. Altitude ranges from 450 metres above sea level in the wild savannah plains of the Northern sector, to the peaks and pinnacles of Gangirwal in the Southern Park sector, which at a staggering 2,400 metres above sea level, represents Nigeria’s highest mountain.

It is the sheer variety of different habitats within Gashaka-Gumti National Park that makes the area so uniquely rich in wildlife.

In fact the park is actually an intricate mosaic of montane grasslands, savannah woodlands, swamps, lakes, mighty rivers, dark lowland rainforests, and luxuriant, montane rainforests strewn with ferns and orchids.

Each habitat supports its own distinctive community of plants and animals.

Rainforests provide a haven for animals such as the Giant Forest hog, leopard, Yellow-backed duiker, Golden cat, and many different primate species including chimpanzees.

Woodland savannahs are home to buffalo, lion, elephant, and Wild dog, as well as various antelopes such as waterbuck, Roan antelope, kob, hartebeest and the world’s largest antelope, the Giant eland.

The mountains of the park harbour populations of the rare Adamawa mountain reedbuck, in addition to Black-and-white colobus monkey, baboon, warthog, oribi, and klipspringer.

Whilst its largest unspoilt rivers contain hippos, crocodiles, otters and a wide variety of fishes.

The park is officially labelled as one of Africa’s “Important Bird Areas” – and with more than 500 species found here, this is certainly no exaggeration.

Visiting bird watchers constantly add new species to the list. An additional abundance of creatures such as butterflies, flowers and trees, makes this park a naturalists’ paradise, unrivalled anywhere for diversity.

Mount Belinda is a stratovolcano that is located on the Montagu Island in the sub-Antarctic Scotia Sea, which is part of the group of South Sandwich Islands that form the British overseas territory of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.

Being a steep volcano built from hardened lava flows and volcanic ash over a period of tens to hundreds of thousands of years, it is one of the most intriguingly beautiful ones from the area.

With an elevation of 1,370 meters (4,490 feet), Mount Belinda is still active, where its small peak is a small summit situated within a sloping ice field that fills the largest caldera known in the island group.

The broad summit caldera is approximately 6 km (4 mi) in diameter and is entirely filled by permanent ice of uncertain depth, which is almost impossible to be measured due to the activity of the volcano.

Even though until 2001 Mount Belinda was considered to be inactive, it suddenly erupted producing large quantities of basaltic lava, melting the thick cover of ice that had accumulated while the volcano was dormant, which made it very interesting for the scientists since it was believed to have some similar processes with some on Mars.

The highest activity was marked in 2005 which produced some 4 km (3 mi) long lava flow, extending from the summit cone of Mount Belinda to the sea. The activity of the volcano almost ceased by 2007, where in 2010 there was only activity from scattered fumeroles and cooling lava.

The whole island is almost 90% covered with ice and snow, with most of the exposed rock limited to vertical sea cliffs, making it difficult to get to the island, although even though there are almost no visitors per year.

Nevertheless, there are tours that offer cruising the Antarctic area, where this island is possible to be seen, if the tour operator is willing enough to offer something more extraordinary, from the already extraordinary sights that are listed on the tours.