Record low butterfly numbers so far in annual count as wet weather hits breeding

Butterfly Conservation is urging members of the public to take part in the Big Butterfly Count to help experts see how they are faring.

The meadow brown is one of the common butterflies the public is asked to look out for (Will Langdon/Butterfly Conservation /PA)

Record low numbers of butterflies have been spotted so far in an annual citizen science survey, as a charity warns the weather this year may have affected the insects.

People taking part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count are seeing just over half the number of butterflies they were spotting this time last year, the charity said.

As the count enters its final week, members of the public are being urged to get outside for 15 minutes and record the number and type of butterflies they see – and to enter their results even if they see very few or none – to help experts understand more about how the insects are faring.

Butterflies are a key indicator species. When they are in trouble we know the wider environment is in trouble too

Dan Hoare, Butterfly Conservation

Experts say the unusually wet and windy spring, coupled with colder than usual temperatures so far this summer could be contributing to the absence of butterflies.

While they say there could be a late emergence of the insects if there is a prolonged sunny spell, numbers are currently the lowest recorded in the 14 years of the Big Butterfly Count.

And it is not just the weather this year that is a problem, with 80% of butterfly species declining in the UK since the 1970s, mainly due to habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.

Because populations are already depleted, they are less resilient to bad weather, Butterfly Conservation warns.

Dr Dan Hoare, director of Conservation at Butterfly Conservation, said: “Butterflies need some warm and dry conditions to be able to fly around and mate.

“If the weather doesn’t allow for this there will be fewer opportunities to breed, and the lack of butterflies now is likely the knock-on effect of our very dreary spring and early summer.”

And he said: “The lack of butterflies this year is a warning sign to us all. Nature is sounding the alarm and we must listen.

“Butterflies are a key indicator species. When they are in trouble we know the wider environment is in trouble too.”

He urged people to record what they were or were not seeing in the way of butterflies as part of the annual count to give experts the evidence to take “vital action” to conserve species.

The Big Butterfly Count ends on Sunday August 4. For more information and to take part people can download the free Big Butterfly Count app or visit www.bigbutterflycount.org