Fancy a flutter?

It’s time for The Big Butterfly Count, so if you want to help take nature’s pulse - or just help out our wildlife - follow these top tips....

★ Butterflies will visit any garden if they can feed on suitable nectar plants, as these provide them and moths with energy. It’s a good idea to make flowers available right through the butterfly season. Autumn flowers will help butterflies build up their reserves for winter. ★ Place the same types of plants together in blocks to help butterflies move around easily. Buddleia (the butterfly bush): This is really easy to grow in almost any soil. They usually bloom through July and August, with beautiful pink, red, purple and white blooms. Oregano: If you are looking for something with little maintenance, this is a great option. This versatile herb can grow from 20cm to 80cm tall and has white, pink or purple flowers from now until September. Verbena: The stems grow to a metre tall and will flower lilac-purple blooms from August to October ★ Don’t use insecticides and pesticides – they kill butterflies and insects such as ladybirds, ground beetles and spiders. ★ Take part in the Big Butterfly Count, a UKwide survey designed to assess the health of the environment, taking place now until 9 August. You don’t need any special equipment – simply visit bigbutterflycount.butterflyconservation.org to download the butterfly ID chart and, after the count, log your results. Once you have your chart, spend 15 minutes in an outdoor space, and count the species you see. If you don’t spy any, record that too. For best results, sit outside on a sunny day.