
Conservationists have declared a “butterfly emergency” following the worst-ever results from the Big Butterfly Count, a national survey.
The three-week summer event, organised by Butterfly Conservation, asked the public to spend 15 minutes counting butterflies in nearby gardens, parks, or countryside areas.
Unfortunately, the results were alarming, marking the lowest numbers in the 14-year history of the project.
Volunteers recorded an average of just seven butterflies per 15-minute session, nearly half of last year’s count, which averaged 12. Shockingly, 9,000 of the 143,241 surveys recorded no butterflies at all, the highest number of zero-counts in the survey’s history.
Several species, including the common and holly blues, green-veined and small whites, small tortoiseshell, and painted lady, had their worst summer on record.
No species had their best summer.
Dr. Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation’s head of science, called the results “very disturbing.”
He added: “Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations.”
He explained that butterflies, a crucial part of the food chain, are an important indicator of the environment’s health.
The decline is partly due to a wet spring and cool summer, but these seasonal variations compound existing long-term pressures like habitat loss, pesticide use, and extreme weather driven by climate change.
Dr. Fox also blamed intensive land management practices and the obsession with garden tidiness, which negatively impacts nature.
Butterfly Conservation has urged the government to ban neonicotinoid pesticides without exceptions. These pesticides, already known for harming bees, also pose a serious threat to butterfly populations.
The charity’s call to action highlights the urgent need to protect butterflies, both for their ecological role and as a key environmental health indicator.
Dr Fox said: “When used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants.”
——————————————————————————
At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about rewilding the UK to stop the decline in our wildlife.
Donate now and join in the solution!