Butterfly numbers bounce back in annual survey

Butterflies have bounced back after the dismal summer of 2024, but the hottest summer on record has delivered only an average number of sightings of the insects in the annual Big Butterfly Count.

- Patrick Barkham

More than 125,000 citizen scientists joined the biggest insect survey in the world this summer, counting an average of 10.3 butterflies in each 15-minute count in parks, gardens and green spaces across Britain.

This was a marked improvement on 2024 when a record low of just seven butterflies per count were recorded. The most-seen butterfly, the large white, enjoyed a 131% increase in sightings on last year, with similarly large increases for the small white (128%) and red admiral (185%).

But the charity Butterfly Conservation said this simply represented a return to average levels, with more butterflies per count in 2023 and every summer from 2016-2020.