By Carole Dennett
You can help to play a part in conserving our much-loved butterflies by taking part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count.
Organised by wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation, you can get involved in the Big Butterfly Count from today until August 6, by just spending 15 minutes in a sunny spot and recording the number and type of butterflies you see.
This year’s count is more important than ever, because last year’s record temperatures, heatwave and drought caused some of the plants that caterpillars feed on to wither and die. Scientists need more data to discover what the ongoing impact of this extreme weather has been.
Butterflies are indicators of a healthy natural environment – with half of Britain’s butterfly species already threatened or near threatened with extinction, it’s never been more important to understand how our insects are responding to the changing climate, and to take action to protect them.
Dr Zoë Randle, of Butterfly Conservation explained: “The data collected during this year’s Big Butterfly Count will give us a valuable insight into what the effect of the most recent extreme weather has been, and how we might be able to better protect our beautiful butterflies. With climate change here to stay, we need people to take part more than ever before.”
The information gathered will help to inform conservation projects and government policies and supports other experts with their research and vital work to protect our planet. For more information and to take part, visit iow.life/butterflycount or download the free Big Butterfly Count app.
