Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August 2026

Your Challenge

Help monitor butterflies near you by joining the Big Butterfly Count. This is a nationwide citizen science survey to help assess our environment.

Visit https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
Download the butterfly ID chart or free app to identify and record the butterflies you spot in 15 minutes during bright weather.
Join between Friday 17 July and Sunday 9 August 2026.
Add your counts so they appear on the interactive map and see the results.

Why you're doing this

By taking part in this survey, we can all help the charity Butterfly Conservation assess the health of our environment simply by counting the species and numbers of butterflies we see.

Butterflies are extremely important. They are vital parts of the ecosystem as both pollinators and components of the food chain. But they are under threat. Numbers of butterflies and moths in the UK have decreased significantly since the 1970s.

Butterfly declines are also an early warning for other wildlife losses. Butterflies are key biodiversity indicators for scientists as they react very quickly to changes in their environment. So if their numbers are falling, then nature is in trouble.

How you'll make a difference

Tracking numbers of butterflies is crucial in the mission to restore our natural world. That’s why taking part in this citizen science enterprise is of great importance – not just for our butterflies but for the wider environment and nature in general.

The data from this and other counts will also help Butterfly Conservation to identify important trends in species. This will assist them in planning how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understanding the effect of climate change on wildlife.

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