By Swetha Babu
This Summer, the Big Butterfly Count ran from Friday the 12th of July 2024 until Sunday the 4th of August.
The Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey aimed at helping to assess the health of the environment simply by counting the amount and type of butterflies (and some day-flying moths) we see. This initiative was launched in 2010 and has become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. In 2022, “Over 64,000 citizen scientists took part in 2022, submitting 96,257 counts of butterflies and day moths.”
In new scientific research conducted this year, leading wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation, revealed that counting butterflies reduces anxiety by almost 10% (Counting butterflies reduces anxiety – new study proves). Researchers also found that spending just 15 minutes a day observing and counting butterflies boosted participants’ feeling of connectedness with nature.
On the first day of the Big butterfly count, (12 July 2024) at 11:23 am, the statistics were as follows:
Number of Count = 287 
Number of citizen scientists = 358
Number of butterflies = 1066
The total statistics by the end of the butterfly count were:
Number of counts = 136,719
Number of citizen scientists = 150,000
Number of Butterflies = 1,238,405
The main aims of the Big Butterfly count include acting as a good indicator for the health of the environment. Butterflies are a vital part of the ecosystem and can be an indicator of declining wildlife as they have rapid and sensitive responses to subtle habitat or climate change. There is concern by Conservationists that butterflies are moving north, and this might be due to warmer climate and changes in weather patterns.
This project is part of citizen science which aims at contributing to scientific knowledge and not just limited to butterflies.
Butterflies have short life cycles and react rapidly to environmental changes, as evidenced by the reduction seen this year following the wet and cold summer in the UK. Recent research shows that butterfly numbers have reduced more rapidly than birds and plants.
In fact, in the past 50 years, there has been a huge decline in butterfly numbers (around 80%). Butterflies (and all insects) are a critical part of the food chain, and a lack of butterflies disrupts the ecosystem. We’ve all heard of the Butterfly Effect, so consider a world without them at all, and how much of a big difference that would make to the environment.
Here’s what one of our Pharmora Scientists, who has taken part in the past four Big Butterfly Counts, had to say:
“It is best on a sunny calm day and is easy to do, with downloadable identification sheets available if you are unsure of your Orange-tips or Green-veined whites! Monitoring insect numbers is vital in understanding the impacts on the environment and whether initiatives such as No Mow May are having an effect. A simple but effective contribution to ecological research.”
Pharmora took part in the event, and our expert scientists became citizen scientists in order to count the butterflies in their local area. Unfortunately, as you might have noticed this year, there was not a lot of sunshine, and a lack of calm sunny days! Often, when our scientists went out to collect data, they only saw one or two butterflies, or none at all!
The grey and cold weather this spring and summer that was noticed this year by our scientists has also been noted across the country; this year’s butterfly numbers are down! Although this could have been partly due to the dismal weather, it is a warning sign to us that more needs to be done to conserve these vital insects.
As such, we want to draw everyone’s attention to the charity; become a member through this link (Join | Butterfly Conservation) or donate if interested (Donate | Hope in nature | Butterfly Conservation).
Hopefully by this time next year, when Pharmora plans to take part once again, the numbers of butterflies will be in recovery (as well as the summertime weather!).
