Big Butterfly Count: People asked to join in to help address extinction

In an effort to save them from extinction, people are being urged to count the number of butterflies they encounter during the next three weeks.

According to Butterfly Conservation, two-fifths of the British butterfly population is endangered.

The nonprofit organisation advises taking a 15-minute walk outside to count the number and variety of butterflies and moths seen.

The information gathered will be used to evaluate the impact of pollutants and climate change.

Sir David Attenborough, the charity’s president, actress Joanna Lumley, and gardener Alan Titchmarsh all support the annual Big Butterfly Count.

According to experts, the event will collect data from locations that would otherwise go unrecorded and assist scientists in their understanding of how environmental changes are affecting insects.

Normal butterflies are also in danger of going extinct; numbers of common species like the tiny tortoiseshell have decreased by 79% since 1976.

More than ever before, 150,000 sets of results from throughout the UK were submitted for the count last year, but it also saw the lowest average number of butterflies recorded since the program’s inception 13 years earlier.

Royalty was among those participating; Princess Charlotte was captured with a Red Admiral butterfly she discovered close to her family’s Norfolk house.

“Thanks to the amazing British public, the Big Butterfly Count is the largest natural history citizen science project involving insects in the world and gives us a crucial snapshot of what is occurring for butterflies,” said Dr. Zoe Randle, senior surveys officer at Butterfly Conservation.

It can serve as an early-warning system, informing us of the effects of changing environmental conditions on insects, and it enables the collection of crucial data from locations that would otherwise go completely unrecorded.

Spending time in nature is really beneficial to our mental health and can make us feel happier and more energised, said the ambassador, Dr. Amir Khan.

It is beneficial for both you and butterflies to help Butterfly Conservation obtain the necessary data to understand how to properly protect these unique creatures. It really is a win-win situation for all of us.

This year’s count will take place from July 15 to August 7; participants can transmit their results via a dedicated website and app.