Join this year's Big Butterfly Count 2023
The yearly butterfly count is about to start, from 14 July to 6 August.
The annual Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science survey which aims to encourage the general public to get involved in understanding the biodiversity of our environment. The project wants people to count the number of butterflies and moths they see around them. Butterflies make up an important part of our ecosystems and food chains as pollinators, but they are unfortunately under threat. These types of counts help identify trends in these butterflies in these species, to allow for further planning and protection of these butterflies.
How to take part
The Big Butterfly Count goes live on 14 July.
To get involved, all you have to do is take 15 minutes out of your day to sit and record the number and species of butterflies you see around you. You can even do the count multiple times through July and August!
You could even count whilst you go for a walk in nature in 15 minutes, either on your way to work, to school or home. Any environment or habitat is great to observe and count! This period of the year is the time when most butterflies are at their adult stage, so are more likely to be seen. It is important to acknowledge the lack of butterflies as well, so if you don’t see any it might indicate a wider problem.
The survey has been created by the Butterfly Conservation, who have created a identification chart to help count and identify the butterflies. Once you have submitted your counts to the butterfly conservation, if you have counted the butterflies on the University of York campus, we’d love for you to share that data, so we can understand the butterfly biodiversity on our campus too! Submit your counts here to us.