Lowest Butterfly Count for 12 Years

This summer was not a good one for butterflies in the UK. We were disappointed by the small numbers and limited range of species of these delightful insects that we saw during our surveys of grasslands and areas of shrubs and scrub, but had initially put that down largely to the relatively poor weather that we suffered this year. However, our fears were increased when sunnier-day, leisure-time visits to areas that have recently been “hotspots” of butterfly activity revealed similar poor results. Additionally, many members of our local Butterfly Conservation group were clearly dismayed by the reduced numbers of butterflies and moths they were seeing around south Wales. Finally, and more worrying still, the recently announced results of Butterfly Conservation’s annual butterfly count, between 16^th July and 8^th August, confirmed that our experiences were indeed widespread across the UK.

Sadly, this year’s results show that, despite more than 150,000 counts being submitted this year by members of the public across the country, more than ever before, the average number of butterflies and moths recorded per sighting has fallen from 16 in 2019, and 11 in 2020, to only 9 in 2021. Dr Zoë Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation summed up the situation, saying, “More counts are undertaken and submitted year on year, but it seems that there are fewer butterflies and moths around to be counted.”

It was pleasing therefore to see that Butterfly Conservation has revealed a new 5-year plan to try to counter the dreadful decline in butterfly populations witnessed since the late 1970’s, and we wish them every success with their work. As we have observed in the past, we shall continue to seek ways of improving habitats for butterflies, as well as other British wildlife species, during our work in support of development projects. We hope that architects, planners, developers and builders will increasingly make provision for nature within their projects and that local authorities and large numbers of people across the country will support the move towards improving the biodiversity of their neighbourhoods.

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