Hello to all our lovely readers. We hope you have been enjoying our content recently. We have loved writing about our wonderful county of Devon again and sharing our favourite places with you. For example, two of the recent blogs we have shared with you some of our favourite walks on Dartmoor and Exmoor. If you missed these and want to catch up on them click here. This week however we have something a little different for you, The Big Butterfly Count.
What is it?
You might be wondering what on earth is The Big Butterfly Count? Well, it is a UK-wide survey/event created by the Butterfly Conservation group that helps them to determine the health of the different species. This event was first launched in 2010 and it has quickly become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. In 2019 over 113,500 individuals took part in the survey and between them, they submitted 116,009 counts of butterflies and moths from across the UK as you can complete the survey more than once.
Why take part in the survey?
If you are thinking why would I want to take part in this survey? Well, butterfly and moth’s numbers have been decreasing significantly since the 1970s. We all love to see these beautiful creatures in our gardens and that in itself is a great reason for wanting to help them. However, butterflies are actually a vital part of the ecosystem. They are good pollinators and an important part of the food chain. Furthermore, declines in butterflies are also an early warning for other wildlife losses. This is because butterflies are key biodiversity indicators for scientists because they react quickly to changes in their environment. If numbers start to decline then scientists can look into why this might be and help to resolve the issue.
Therefore, by taking part in the survey you are helping to contribute to the work scientists do to help preserve and look after our wonderful countryside, nature and ecosystems.
How to take part.
It is a very easy process to take part in this survey, all you need to do is sign up on the Butterfly Conversation website and download their handy identification chart to help you see what types of butterflies you have. Sit in a corner of your garden, preferably in sunny weather as butterflies love this. Stay for 15 minutes and count how many species of butterflies you see. If you do not have a garden spot you can also count them in parks, fields and forests. Submit your results on the Butterfly conversation website and receive a certificate for taking part. You can do as many counts as you like, just make sure to submit your results by the 9th of August.
Further Information
We hope you have enjoyed today’s blog. We would love to hear about your butterfly counts and if you manage to get any photos be sure to put them up on Facebook and Instagram and tag us in the post.
If this was not quite what you were looking for click here to see the rest of our blog posts.