Butterflies More Affected By Climate Change Than Habitat Loss (VIDEO)

We're not the only ones who thought that this summer was extremely warm. The Greenland ice sheet seems to agree, and now it looks like butterfly populations are affected by our planet's rising temperatures.

A Harvard study based off data gather from the Massachusetts Butterfly Club has declared that northeastern butterfly species populations are in decline, while subtropical butterflies seems to be doing quite well for themselves. The findings show that efforts toward butterfly conservation should be geared more towards climate change than habitat loss.

It turns out that more than 75 percent of northerly species including the aphrodite fritillary are in decline.

"Over the past 19 years, a warming climate has been reshaping Massachusetts butterfly communities," said lead author of the study Greg Breed who is a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Forest in Petersham.

The northern species affected the most are the ones that spend winter as an egg or small larvae. This indicates that the butterflies with that seasonal schedule are more susceptible to rising temperatures.

Species of butterflies from the south, however, seem to be doing well in the increased heat. The frosted elfin, a state-protected southern species of butterfly, is one thriving example. Since its introduction in 1992, its population has increased an estimated 1,000 percent.

The study clearly indicates that climate change is an integral part of butterfly conservation - far more important that previously thought.

"For most butterfly species, climate change seems to be a stronger change-agent than habitat loss," says Breed. "Protecting habitat remains a key management strategy, and that may help some butterfly species. However, for many others, habitat protection will not mitigate the impacts of warming."

If scientists take heed, then conservation efforts will have to focus more on larger global problems such as carbon emissions. That's not to say that the immediate preservation of a butterfly's habitat isn't important, it just seems that the winged-creatures care more about the temperature than where they live.

Watch an NBC "Changing Planet" clip on how climate change is affecting butterflies: