Britain’s Big Butterfly Count 2025: Citizen Science Survey Launched Amid Warm Spring

From 17 July to 9 August 2025, the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation will run its annual Big Butterfly Count, a nationwide citizen-science survey. Participants are asked to spend about 15 minutes outdoors—in gardens, parks or countryside—recording butterflies and day-flying moths. Sightings can be submitted via the bigbutterflycount.org website or a free mobile app.

Bournemouth Daily Echo

Butterfly Conservation notes that a warm, dry spring—one of the hottest on record—has produced “ideal conditions for butterfly breeding and caterpillar growth.” Early observations include abundant small coppers, holly blues, peacock, red admiral and brimstone butterflies. The charity also mentions the possibility of a “painted lady summer,” when the migratory painted lady butterfly arrives in large numbers, though confirmation depends on public reports.

The IndependentBBC NewsBournemouth Daily Echo

Head of Engagement Kate Merry emphasized that, despite the colourful spring, long-term declines persist across most species. She stressed that only widespread public reporting can reveal whether the season will indeed be prolific. The organization frames butterflies as “key indicators of the UK’s biodiversity and environmental health,” linking the count to broader insect monitoring.

Bournemouth Daily Echo

Conservationists report that four-fifths (80 %) of butterfly species have declined in the past 50 years, attributing the trend to habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The 2024 count had previously been described as a “butterfly emergency” after delivering the scheme’s worst results.

The Independent

• “Kate Merry, head of engagement at Butterfly Conservation, said: "After the colourful spring with seemingly lots of beautiful butterflies appearing across the UK, it's tempting to assume we're heading for a bumper summer, and we'd love nothing more as most of our butterfly species have undergone long-term declines.” — Kate Merry, Head of Engagement, Butterfly Conservation

Bournemouth Daily Echo

• “(Image: Iain H Leach) "But a bright spring is only ever part of the story, which is why we need people out there taking part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer.” — Kate Merry

Bournemouth Daily Echo

• “We genuinely don't yet know how this year will unfold, and the only way to find out is for people to tell us what they're seeing in their own gardens and green spaces.” — Kate Merry

Bournemouth Daily Echo

• “Butterflies are icons of summer and, more importantly, key indicators of the UK's biodiversity and environmental health.” — Kate Merry

Bournemouth Daily Echo

• “Every single person that takes part in the Big Butterfly Count and submits their sightings is helping us to see how these pollinators are doing, which in turn helps conservationists build a wider picture of how all insects are faring.” — Kate Merry

Bournemouth Daily Echo