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Sir David Attenborough urges British public to join butterfly count

The UK has experienced the right combination of a cold winter and a settled late spring and summer so far this year, enabling spring butterflies to thrive.

The annual count could record a bumper year for species such as holly blue, common white, common blue and red admirals.

But the ongoing hot dry conditions could mean plants wither away and the next generation of caterpillars cannot find the food they need to survive.

Populations of butterflies collapsed as a result of the 1976 drought for this reason, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation said.

Sir David Attenborough urges British public to join butterfly count | Environment | The Guardian

The Butterfly Conservation newsletter has more:

Take part in the Big Butterfly Count

Special Edition

July 2018

The UK’s butterflies are basking in the best summer conditions for more than a decade with hot sunny weather enabling widespread species to fly, feed and breed. Last year was a bumper year for the Red Admiral but which butterfly will top the Big Butterfly Count charts this summer?

We need your sightings to discover which species are thriving and which are simply surviving.

Watch wildlife presenter and BC Vice-president, Nick Baker, explain why taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is good for you as well as for our butterflies, download your free app or chart, choose a sunny spot and spend 15 minutes watching the natural world go by.