Join the Big Butterfly Count 2025: An Easy 15-Minute Mission to Help Save UK Wildlife

Calling all wildlife lovers – Britain’s Butterflies need you! 🦋

Butterflies across the UK are in serious trouble – and this summer, you can help.

The Big Butterfly Count 2025 launches today, Friday 18th of July, and it’s more than just a simple survey – it’s a nationwide rescue mission for one of Britain’s most beloved and essential species.

Whether you’re a seasoned nature lover, a family looking for a summer activity, or just someone with 15 spare minutes on a sunny day, you can be part of something truly important.

What’s Happening to UK Butterflies?

Last year’s Big Butterfly Count results were the lowest in the event’s history, triggering a Butterfly Emergency announced by Butterfly Conservation.

Butterflies are struggling due to:

• Loss of habitat
• Pesticide use (even those labelled “pollinator friendly”)
• Climate change and increasingly erratic weather
• Fragmentation of natural green spaces

And the statistics are stark: 80% of butterflies have declined since the 1970s.

But it’s not all doom and gloom – because you can do something to help.

Why Butterflies Matter

Butterflies aren’t just pretty insects flitting through your garden. They are vital bioindicators, giving scientists early warnings about the health of our environment. When butterflies disappear, it often means that other insects, birds, and animals will soon follow.

If we lose butterflies, we lose biodiversity – and balance in our ecosystems.

One Simple Action: The Big Butterfly Count

Here’s how you can help:

Spend 15 minutes in any outdoor space – your garden, a park, a field, or even your local car park – and count the butterflies (and day-flying moths) you see.

Submit your sightings through the Big Butterfly Count app or at www.bigbutterflycount.org

Your data helps scientists track how butterflies are doing in different areas of the UK – and where urgent action is needed.

Anyone Can Join in

The Count is open to everyone, and anyone can join in – kids, grandparents, dog walkers, hikers, and office workers on their lunch break.

As Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, puts it:

“This is a chance to turn curiosity into conservation… If you do one thing for nature this year, get out for the Count this summer! Every count really does make a difference.”

What You’ll Be Helping With

When you take part, your sightings:

• Feed into a real-time, interactive map of UK biodiversity
• Help scientists identify where butterflies are declining or thriving
• Support future conservation efforts to restore habitats and protect species

Whether you spot a vibrant Red Admiral, a delicate Common Blue, or a fluttering Meadow Brown, every single butterfly counts.

How Else Can You Help?

As well as joining the Count, you can support butterflies at home by:

• Planting pollinator-friendly flowers
• Letting wild spaces thrive in your garden
• Avoiding harmful pesticides – even those marketed as safe

Small actions make a big difference. Together, we can help protect our butterflies – and the entire ecosystem they support.

Watch Chris Packham talk about why is it important to take part in the Big Butterfly Count:

Ready to Get Involved?

🦋 Big Butterfly Count 2025
📅 18 July – 10 August
📍 Anywhere outdoors
📲 Download the free app or visit the website to get started

This summer, take 15 minutes to reconnect with nature, discover the beauty around you – and make a real difference for UK wildlife.