Butterfly Emergency Declared in UK as Big Butterfly Count Records Lowest Numbers Ever

Conservationists have declared a “butterfly emergency” after a record low number of the insects were recorded during this year’s Big Butterfly Count, Sky News reports.

The citizen science project, which asks members of the public to spend 15 minutes recording the butterflies they see, revealed the worst results in its 14-year history.

Volunteers spotted an average of just seven butterflies per 15-minute count, a near 50% drop from last year’s average of 12. Alarmingly, 9,000 of the 143,241 counts recorded no butterflies at all, the highest number ever recorded in the scheme.

The decline was particularly stark for species including common and holly blues, green-veined and small whites, small tortoiseshell, painted lady, and scotch argus.

Butterfly Conservation, the wildlife charity behind the count, attributed the decline to a wet spring and a cool summer. However, they stressed that these seasonal variations are superimposed on a long-term trend of serious decline in butterfly populations.

The charity stressed the impact of habitat loss, pesticides, and extreme weather driven by climate change on the insects.

“While pesticides are well-known for their harmful impact on bees, they are also impacting butterfly populations,” stated a spokesperson for Butterfly Conservation. “We must recognize the interconnectedness of these issues and take action to protect our vital pollinators.”