Big Butterfly Count
Monitoring environmental vitality by tallying butterflies, a simple yet profound method revealing the delicate balance within ecosystems.
Butterflies are beautiful creatures that are filled with grace. Spending their lives feeding on nectar and pollinating gardens, butterflies are more than just attractive – they also play an important role in the environment! The Big Butterfly Count is here to provide people an opportunity to make a difference when it comes to butterflies.
History of Big Butterfly Count
Launched in 2010, the Big Butterfly Count began as a way for the people all over the UK to help assess the health of the environment by working together to count the butterflies in their local area. After more than a decade since it began, the Big Butterfly Count has become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies – with more than 100,000 people participating in 2021.
The Big Butterfly Count is put on by the Butterfly Conservation and typically takes place for three weeks starting late July. Individuals in the UK can submit their counts at any time during the period. The results are tallied and made available to the public, including the numbers and different species of butterflies along with some day-flying moths.
How to Celebrate Big Butterfly Count
Have some fun, spend a little time together and make the Big Butterfly Count an adventure, starting with some of these ideas:
Count Some Butterflies
Celebrate this event and become one of the folks who help out and get involved with the Big Butterfly Count by counting and submitting the information! It’s easy – just spend fifteen minutes watching and counting butterflies on a bright day, preferably where the sun is shining. Grab a friend, bring the kids and get the whole family involved!
In preparation, the event website has provided a chart for participants to use to help identify the butterflies. It’s important to remember that the people who don’t see any butterflies should still report their findings. Folks who want to participate on a larger scale can take a look at the interactive map on the website to learn and view more.
Learn More About Butterflies
The Big Butterfly Count is a great way to show some love and learn more about butterflies in honor of the event. Check out some of these interesting facts about butterflies and share them to raise awareness:
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Butterflies are a vital part of the ecosystem as both pollinators as well as components of the food chain.
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Numbers of butterflies and moths have been decreasing in the past several decades, which is considered to be an early warning sign for other losses in wildlife.
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There are almost 20,000 species all over the globe, but only 59 of them live in the UK.
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Butterflies typically only live for a few weeks, though some rare species only last for 24 hours while other migratory versions may last for up to eight months.
Make a Donation for Butterfly Conservation
A number of different charity organizations have been working toward helping butterflies with their plight. From the Monarch Joint Venture to the World Wildlife Federation, the Big Butterfly Count acts as a great reminder to support efforts toward environmental conservation!
