Join the big butterfly count
13 July 2010
The Big Butterfly Count is a major new nationwide survey to assess the health of our environment.
Anyone can take part by making a 15 minute count during Save Our Butterflies Week from 24 July to 1 August. Records are welcome from anywhere - from parks and gardens, to fields and forest.
Butterflies are valuable indicators of the health of our environment but many species are declining rapidly because their habitats are being destroyed or not managed correctly.
The survey is being launched during 2010 to mark the International Year of Biodiversity. It will be repeated in future years to build up a picture of the changes that are taking place in our towns, cities and countryside.
The survey will be run by Butterfly Conservation, the largest insect conservation charity in Europe, in association with Marks & Spencer.
Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, has given his enthusiastic backing to the project. He said: “Butterflies in profusion tell us all is well with nature. When they decline it’s a warning that other wildlife will be soon be heading the same way. So with the big butterfly count we’ll be doing more than just counting butterflies – we’ll be taking the pulse of nature.”
An identification chart and full details of how to take part are available online.
More on butterflies and moths