Butterfly Conservation Launches Annual Count After Hot Spring Boosts Some Species

The Bbc reported that Butterfly Conservation launched its annual Big Butterfly Count on Friday. The charity, based at East Lulworth in Dorset, said a hot and dry spring had already produced increases in several butterfly species. Dr Dan Hoare, director of nature recovery at the organisation, described the period as an opportunity for butterflies to colonise and reach out to new places.

He said he had seen three or four species in the south of England wandering away from their normal ranges. The count runs from 17 July to 9 August. Participants are asked to select a spot, record butterflies and moths seen there for 15 minutes each day, and submit results through the group's website or app.

Prof Helen Roy of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the University of Exeter noted that butterfly populations have declined since the 1970s because of habitat destruction and degradation. She said recent initiatives such as No Mow May had been encouraging because they allow grassy areas to grow wild and provide more feeding and breeding sites.

Roy added that helping butterflies could be as simple as leaving gardens messy and diverse.

If more people create such patches, she said, the result would be a patchwork of havens across the country.