Big butterfly count

Speckled wood butterfly

We all went in the garden the other day to count butterflies for 15 minutes in the sunshine. Butterfly Conservation do a survey every year of the butterflies seen in the British Isles. I am hopeless at identifying them without the sheet that you can handily print off their website www.bigbutterflycount.org

Apparently there are not many peacock butterflies being spotted this year and they are not sure why. We found large whites, gatekeepers, six-spot burnet moths, meadow browns, one red admiral and one common blue. The photo of the speckled wood (which I identified using the sheet) was taken in our garden in 2008 - I haven't seen any this year. It is surprising that when you start looking you realise all the different species there are and the variety not only in wing colour but also body size. We found them mostly amongst the long grass and on the bank at the top of the garden as well as in the flower beds. They particularly like the lavenders and Verbena bonariensis. The sunshine does make a big difference as there are so many more about.


It doesn't have to be done in a garden - a park, grassy field, arable field, school or wood are possible locations. If I remember I will take the sheet up on the Downs next time we go for a walk as without it I get terribly confused. It would be interesting to see the difference in species in a different location. They can be logged up to the end of July.