Butterflies in Britain and Beyond

When did counting butterflies start? In 2010. Last year, 2015, more than 52,000 people took part in the butterfly count.

I did the bird count in previous years. This year is my first attempt at spotting butterflies.  It's fun and educational. You are helping provide a comparison of one area with another and one year with the next and one kind of butterfly with another. Some are increasing and others are declining.

If you sit in one place, such as in a garden, the same as with bird counting, you are asked to count more than one unless you see them at the same time, to be sure you are not counting the same one again and again. However, if you are walking along a country path you can count each sight.

Counting on You to Count Butterflies
You can count butterflies for fifteen minutes in your garden or out walking in Britain, at home or on holiday. The posters which you can download are available in English, Welsh and for Scotland and Ireland.

Butterflies in Britain
Butterflies  are counted in summer because that is when the adult butterflies are easier to see. What use are butterflies and caterpillars? Some of the caterpillars are eaten by bats and birds such as tits and form part of the food chain. Butterflies are delicate and short-lived so they are quick indicators of decline in wildlife caused by bad weather or pesticides. Meadow Brown butterflies produce antibiotics.

Butterflies Worldwide
Other butterfly attractions include:
1 Valley of butterflies in Rhodes.
2 Monarch roost in Mexico.

Identifying Butterflies
The identification guide for butterflies helps you by allowing you to pick colours and patterns to aid your search.
http://butterfly-conservation.org/50/identify-a-butterfly.html

The Butterfly conservation website includes an online shop selling colourful tops and caps, a scarf, mugs, and pop up butterfly greetings cards, lots of different butterfly motifs.
http://butterfly-conservation.myshopify.com/collections/all?page=1

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.