Final call to help the butterflies

Participants are still needed for this years’s Big Butterfly Count — which ends on Sunday (Aug 7).

The Butterfly Conservation charity said that many people backed the project in recent years but numbers have fallen this time.

Dr Zoe Randle, senior surveys officer at Butterfly Conservation, said: “In 2020 and 2021, we saw a big increase in the number of people taking part in the Big Butterfly Count.

“However, since Big Butterfly Count started on July 15 we’ve only had half of the counts compared with the same time last year.

“It’s left us wondering whether, now there are no Covid restrictions, are people beginning to forget about nature and the wildlife that needs our help to survive?”

The project aims to identify how widespread species are and how they are suffering from threats such as climate change and habitat loss.

The Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey open to everyone, of any age, living in towns, cities or the countryside.

Taking part requires you to spend just 15 minutes in an outdoor space counting the amount and type of butterflies you see, was well as any day-flying moths.

For more information and to take part, visit www.bigbutterflycount.org or download the free Big Butterfly Count app.