Where are all the Butterflies?
Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has today declared a national ‘Butterfly Emergency’, with results of the Big Butterfly Count in 2024 showing a marked and hugely concerning decline in numbers.
Participants in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, the biggest citizen science survey of its kind in the world, spotted an average of just seven butterflies per 15-minute count, a reduction of almost 50% on last year’s average of 12, and the lowest in the 14-year history of the Big Butterfly 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. And the majority of species (81%) showed declines in the number seen this year compared with 2023.
The figures of the counts we did in Hartland mirrored the pattern seen over the whole country. The total number of counts done in Hartland in 2024 was 49 (down from 60 in 2023) and the average number of butterflies per count was down to 10 (from 15 in 2023). However there were a few differences. In Hartland the number of Large and Small Whites actually increased in 2024 compared to 2023, while the number of Peacocks totally plummeted, from 121 to 2!
“The previous lowest average number of butterflies per count was nine in 2022, and this latest figure is 22% lower than that, which is very disturbing,” said Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation. “The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies.
“Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble, we know that the wider environment is in trouble too. Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations.”
