Big Butterfly Count Friday 18th July to Sunday 10th August 2025
Decline in insect numbers including butterflies has been an important focus in the last few years as we are all more aware that if we snooze, we lose out on pollinators, biodiversity and the beauty of wildlife.
Butterflies are a good indicator of the health of insect populations as a whole as due to their short lifecycles they need to respond more readily to changes in environment. We also have more knowledge about butterflies and their lifecycles - plus for most people they are easier to view and identify than other insect species.
This year you can support the big butterfly count with just 15 minutes of sitting and observing which butterflies you see - or none, if that’s the case and reporting what you see. https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
Simple steps to take part
Either download the Big Butterfly Count App
Or
Go to the above website where you can find the registration, a downloadable identification chart, what to do and how to upload your results.
Scarlet Tiger Moth
The butterfly count only covers some more commonly found species of butterflies. If you find other butterfly species or want to become more regularly involved then the Butterfly Conservation Society also has the option to log these on its iRecord Butterflies app
If you're not sure how you want to be involved then look at the other options for monitoring butterflies. There are also other sites where you can monitor moths or other insects and wildlife if you prefer.
So familiarise yourself with the identification card and set aside a time from this Friday to watch the world and hopefully, the butterflies, go by.