Big Butterfly Count: Appeal to public to help stem decline in numbers

Butterfly Conservation launches this year’s Big Butterfly Count with a warning that time is running out to help save species.

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation are today urging the whole nation to help Britain’s butterflies by taking part in the Big Butterfly Count, which starts today, Friday, July 15.

Butterfly Conservation revealed in May that half of Britain’s remaining butterfly species are now on the Red List and threatened or near threatened with extinction. Last year’s Big Butterfly Count saw the lowest ever number of butterflies recorded. As butterflies and moths are an important indicator of the health of our environment, a reduction in their numbers is a cause for serious concern.

However, taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is one really positive way that everyone can help. The information gathered is vital in helping scientists understand more about what is happening to the nation’s butterflies and therefore put in place the conservation measures needed to protect them. In recent years Butterfly Conservation has helped save two species from extinction in the UK and halted the decline of many others. The charity has proved that with the right information and targeted action, species can be brought back from the brink,

Dr Zoe Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation says: “Thanks to the wonderful British public who take part in their thousands, the Big Butterfly Count is the largest natural history citizen science project involving insects in the world and provides us with a valuable snapshot of what is happening for butterflies across the whole of the UK. It can act as an early-warning system, letting us know how various environmental changes are impacting insects, and allows us to gather vital data from places that would otherwise be totally unrecorded.”

Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey open to everyone, of any age, living in towns, cities or the countryside. Taking part requires you to spend just 15 minutes in an outdoor space counting the amount and type of butterflies, and some day-flying moths, you see. It is easy to do and the more people who do it, the greater the benefits to our understanding of nature and how to help it.

There were over 150,000 counts submitted to the Big Butterfly Count last year, more than ever before. Though worryingly, 2021 also saw the lowest average number of butterflies logged since the event began 13 years ago. More counts are undertaken and submitted year on year, but it seems there are fewer butterflies and moths to be seen.

Butterfly Conservation scientists are keen to see if this is a trend that continues in 2022, and how the picture differs for butterflies across the whole of the UK.

This year the Big Butterfly Count is sponsored by garden wildlife specialist Vivara and the DFN Foundation, a commissioning charity focused on influencing sustainable change in special needs education, supported employment, healthcare and conservation.

This year’s Big Butterfly Count runs from July 15 to August 7. More information and how to take part or download the free Big Butterfly Count app.