People in Britain are being urged to help determine if summer 2020 is the best for butterflies for a quarter of a century by joining the world’s most popular insect survey.
The Big Butterfly Count begins on Friday, with people asked to spend 15 minutes in a park, garden, field or wood, counting the common butterflies they see.
The sunny spring weather has caused butterfly species to emerge earlier this year than at any time for two decades, with experts predicting that following the hot summers of 2018 and 2019, butterfly numbers could build to their greatest abundance since the mid-1990s.
Chris Packham, the wildlife campaigner and vice-president of Butterfly Conservation, said taking part in the charity’s three-week count was a chance to give back to the natural world, which had been a source of solace and joy during lockdown.
“This is a real chance to do something positive and contribute to conserving nature,” Packham said. “Butterflies and moths are key indicators of the health of our environment and anyone can help contribute to our understanding of these incredible creatures by taking part in in the Big Butterfly Count.
“The sightings you submit will be used to map and measure populations and the geographic spread of species across the UK. We’re asking everyone who has been given a helping hand from nature this year to return the favour.”
Last year, 113,000 people participated in the Big Butterfly Count, its biggest year yet. Spotters can download free identification sheets or an ID app to help identify and count 17 common butterfly species including peacocks, meadow browns and marbled whites, and also two species of day-flying moth.
Zoë Randle, a senior survey officer at Butterfly Conservation, said: “The very sunny spring weather meant almost all butterfly species have emerged early this summer, so we are hoping for some interesting data. As our weather patterns change it’s more important than ever for us to be able capture this information.”
Randle said the charity had seen an “incredible” surge in interest in butterflies, with adults and children spotting them for the first time because of more time spent outdoors in local neighbourhoods during lockdown.
“Nature has really shown its true value to us this year, but it is still under threat,” she said. “Now, more than ever, we must all do our little bit to protect it.”
