Shocking results from the nationwide Big Butterfly Count have been released today, prompting a UK butterfly emergency to be declared.
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The annual Big Butterfly Count took place this year between 12 July to 4 August and is one of the country's largest citizen science projects.
Numbers for 2024 have seen a shocking decline, with the lowest ever number of butterflies spotted per count in its 14-year history, despite six thousand more counts being done.
Over 9,000 counts reported not seeing a single butterfly, with participants spotting just seven butterflies on average per 15-minute count. This is a 50 per cent reduction on last year's average of 12. Eighty-one per cent of the species showed declines in the number seen this year compared with 2023.
This year there were almost six thousand more counts submitted than last year but 10,000 fewer people taking part year on year. This year, 85,000 people took part in the count.
It was the worst summer in the count’s history for Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Scotch Argus.
Dr Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, said: “The previous lowest average number of butterflies per count was nine in 2022, this latest figure is 22 per cent lower than that, which is very disturbing. Not just that, but a third of the species recorded in the Big Butterfly Count have had their worst year on record, and no species had their best. The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies."
The figures have led Butterfly Conservation to declare a Nature Emergency and call upon the government to ban toxic neonicotinoid pesticides.
Dr Fox said: “When used on farmland, [neonicotinoid pesticides] make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants. Many European countries have already banned these chemicals, it’s time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we don’t act now to address the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face extinction events never before seen in our lifetime.”
The Big Butterfly Count asks people to sit down for 15 minutes in an outdoor setting, during sunny conditions and count the types and amount of butterflies they see. You can do as many counts as you like. Next year's count will take place from 18 July to 10 August 2025.
To sign Butterfly Conservation’s letter to the Government asking them to declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and ban butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides visit: https://butterfly-conservation.org/emergency
