{"id":318966,"date":"2025-07-22T16:45:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/?p=318966"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:39:59","slug":"big-butterfly-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/animals\/insects\/big-butterfly-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Join the Big Butterfly Count!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Calling all wildlife lovers \u2013 our butterflies need you! <\/strong>Join the <strong>Big Butterfly Count<\/strong> and discover <em>flap<\/em>tastic <strong>butterfly facts&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the Big Butterfly Count?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year, the <strong>Butterfly Conservation <\/strong>charity organises a huge <strong>citizen science project<\/strong> called the <strong>Big Butterfly Count<\/strong>, where members of the public (that&#8217;s people like YOU!)<strong> count butterflies and moths<\/strong> in their local area.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-CloseUp.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-CloseUp.jpg\" alt=\"A girl with brown hair holds out her hand, gently displaying a butterfly resting on her fingers against a clear blue sky and green grass\u2014capturing the spirit of the Big Butterfly Count.\" class=\"wp-image-319250\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I take part?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Between <strong>18 July <\/strong>and <strong>10 August<\/strong>, spend <strong>15 minutes<\/strong> in <strong>any outdoor space<\/strong> and <strong>count any butterflies <\/strong>and <strong>day-flying moths <\/strong>that flutter by. Record the <strong>number <\/strong>you see, as well as their <strong>species<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>TOP TIP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a grown-up&#8217;s permission, download the <strong>free Big Butterfly Count app <\/strong>to help you identify each species, or visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org\/\">Big Butterfly Count website<\/a> for easy ID guides.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve counted your butterflies, <strong>log your sightings on the Big Butterfly Count website or app<\/strong>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can take part <strong>as many times as you like<\/strong>, so try visiting a few <strong>different places<\/strong>, like a park, a field, and a woodland. What will you find in each one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does it matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-IDGuide.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-IDGuide.jpg\" alt=\"Three children are looking at a guide with various illustrated butterflies outdoors, possibly during a Big Butterfly Count or butterfly identification walk. The image is focused on the guide, with the children in the foreground.\" class=\"wp-image-319249\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>All the findings are collected into a big <strong>database<\/strong>, which helps <strong>scientists<\/strong> understand how the UK&#8217;s butterfly species are doing \u2013 and how to <strong>take action<\/strong> to help any that are struggling! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is especially important at the moment, as <strong>over 80% <\/strong>of <strong>UK butterfly species are in decline<\/strong>. By studying them, we can learn <strong>when<\/strong> and <strong>why things are going wrong<\/strong>, and help make them better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10 brilliant butterfly facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Many butterflies and moths taste with their feet.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of mouths that can bite and chew, butterflies have a <strong>long<\/strong>, <strong>straw-like mouthpart<\/strong> for sipping <strong>nectar<\/strong> from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/science\/nature\/the-life-cycle-of-flowering-plants\/\">flowers<\/a>. So they taste with other parts of their body, including their <strong>feet<\/strong>, <strong>wings<\/strong> and <strong>antennae<\/strong>! This helps them work out whether the plants they land on are <strong>good places to lay eggs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Most butterflies have a top speed of about 19kmph.<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-GrizzledSkipper.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-GrizzledSkipper.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up of a grizzled skipper butterfly with black and white patterned wings perched on a brown stick, captured for the Big Butterfly Count, set against a blurred light brown background.\" class=\"wp-image-319248\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>There are speedier species though \u2013 <strong>skippers<\/strong> can soar at almost <strong>60kmph<\/strong>! Butterflies with <strong>slender bodies <\/strong>and <strong>strong wings <\/strong>tend to be the fastest fliers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Some caterpillars will eat their entire bodyweight in leaves&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;in just one day!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>They can be picky eaters too. The caterpillars of <strong>small blue <\/strong>butterflies<strong> <\/strong>only eat one plant, called <strong>kidney vetch<\/strong>. But they don&#8217;t eat the leaves \u2013 instead, they live inside the <strong>yellow<\/strong> <strong>flower heads <\/strong>and feed on the developing <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/science\/nature\/the-life-cycle-of-flowering-plants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anthers<\/a> <\/strong>and <strong>seeds<\/strong>! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/animals\/insects\/butterfly-life-cycle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to learn more about caterpillars.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Many moths are masters of disguise.<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-HummingbirdHawkmoth.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-HummingbirdHawkmoth.jpg\" alt=\"A hummingbird hawk-moth hovers in mid-air, feeding from a purple thistle flower with its long proboscis, against a blurred green background\u2014an exciting sight to spot during the Big Butterfly Count.\" class=\"wp-image-319247\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The <strong>hummingbird hawk-moth<\/strong> (pictured above) rapidly beats its wings, just like tiny <strong>hummingbird<\/strong> \u2013 and its caterpillar looks a bit like a <strong>snake<\/strong>! The <strong>Chinese character moth<\/strong> disguises itself as <strong>bird poo <\/strong>and the <strong>hornet moth<\/strong> looks just like&#8230; you guessed it&#8230; a <strong>hornet<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Butterfly wings are covered in scales. <\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BigButterflyCount-ButterflyScales.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BigButterflyCount-ButterflyScales.jpg\" alt=\"a decorative image showing iridescent blue scales overlapping - this is a butterfly wing\" class=\"wp-image-326071\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Butterflies have <strong>hundreds of thousands <\/strong>of <strong>tiny scales <\/strong>on their wings, <strong>overlapping <\/strong>like tiles on a roof. Each scale is as teeny as a <strong>speck of dust<\/strong>, but all together, they help the insect <strong>fly<\/strong>, regulate their <strong>temperature<\/strong> and <strong>reflect light <\/strong>to give butterflies their shimmery colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. There are about 18,000 butterfly species on Earth \u2013 and over 160,000 species of moths!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>That includes <strong>59 butterfly species<\/strong> in the UK. Some of the most common ones here are<strong> <\/strong>the <strong>red admiral<\/strong>, <strong>gatekeeper<\/strong> and <strong>meadow brown<\/strong>. One species, the <strong>large blue<\/strong>, went <strong>extinct<\/strong> in <strong>1979<\/strong> \u2013 but it&#8217;s since been <strong>reintroduced<\/strong> and <strong>restored by conservation efforts<\/strong>. Hooray!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Painted lady butterflies go on an incredible 14,500km migration, from tropical Africa to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/geography\/general-geography\/ten-facts-about-the-arctic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arctic Circle<\/a> and back!<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-PaintedLady.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BigButterflyCount-PaintedLady.jpg\" alt=\"A painted lady butterfly with orange, black, and white-patterned wings rests on a bright yellow sunflower, surrounded by green leaves\u2014an ideal scene for the Big Butterfly Count.\" class=\"wp-image-319252\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The journey is <strong>too far<\/strong> for any individual butterfly to make. Instead, a succession of <strong>up to six generations <\/strong>each completes a leg of the journey \u2013 a bit like a<strong> huge butterfly relay<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Some butterflies really like the smell of poo. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>purple emperor butterfly<\/strong> avoids flowers, preferring to feed on <strong>animal<\/strong> <strong>poo<\/strong>, <strong>carrion<\/strong>, <strong>muddy puddles <\/strong>and even <strong>human sweat<\/strong>. Urgh! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Butterflies have existed for over 100 million years.<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BigButterflyCount-AncientEgypt.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"635\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.creatureandcoagency.com\/uploads\/2026\/03\/BigButterflyCount-AncientEgypt.jpg\" alt=\"a decorative image showing a carved butterfly in a red sandstone column\" class=\"wp-image-326070\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The earliest butterflies evolved during the<strong> Cretaceous Period<\/strong> \u2013 so they may have lived alongside <strong>dinosaurs<\/strong> like <em><strong>Triceratops<\/strong><\/em>, <em><strong>Iguanodon<\/strong> <\/em>and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/animals\/prehistoric-animals\/t-rex-facts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">T. rex<\/a><\/em>! Pictures of them are even <strong>carved on the walls<\/strong> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/history\/egypt\/ten-facts-about-ancient-egypt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ancient Egyptian<\/a> <strong>tombs<\/strong> and <strong>temples<\/strong>, as you can see in this photograph. Wow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. You can help butterflies!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning about these amazing insects is a great first step. Next, take part in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Big Butterfly Count<\/a><\/strong> to help conservationists look after them! Want to do more? Create a <strong>butterfly-friendly space<\/strong> by planting <strong>native flowers <\/strong>like <strong>primroses<\/strong>, <strong>marjoram<\/strong> and <strong>forget-me-nots <\/strong>in a <strong>warm<\/strong>, <strong>sunny<\/strong> <strong>spot<\/strong> \u2013 then see which butterflies come to visit! You could even ask your <strong>school <\/strong>to plant flowers too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Will you be taking part in the Big Butterfly Count? Tell us what you spot in the comments below!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Girl holding butterfly and butterfly ID image \u00a9 Butterfly Conservation; Painted lady \u00a9 Andrew Cooper \/ Butterfly Conservation; All other images \u00a9&nbsp;Adobe Stock.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calling all wildlife lovers \u2013 our butterflies need you! Join the Big Butterfly Count and discover flaptastic butterfly facts&#8230; What is the Big Butterfly Count? Every year, the Butterfly Conservation charity organises a huge citizen science project called the Big Butterfly Count, where members of the public (that&#8217;s people like YOU!) count butterflies and moths &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/uk\/discover\/animals\/insects\/big-butterfly-count\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Join the Big Butterfly Count!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258443,"featured_media":319253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[1682,3124,639,3122,947,641],"christmas-category":[],"class_list":["post-318966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insects","tag-butterflies","tag-citizen-science","tag-moth","tag-moths","tag-science","tag-wildlife","countries-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Join the Big Butterfly Count! 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