People needed to take part in butterfly survey
Nature lovers are being invited to become ‘citizen scientists’ to help take stock of the nation's butterfly population.
The Butterfly Conservation charity is staging its annual Big Butterfly Count next month - and organisers are calling on people to spend 15minutes of their time recording the insects they see in their gardens.
The survey will help conservationists assess how the species is doing and the health of the environment.
Russel Hobson, from the charity, said: “There are 59 UK butterfly species in total, but not all of these can be found in our gardens.
"This year, we've included 21 species in the count – almost all of them are widespread. "The best way to attract butterflies to your garden is to provide the plants that support every stage of their life cycle.
"Grass – particularly if it's allowed to go wild – and nettles are another great plant for butterflies, providing food for caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma.”
To take part in the Big Butterfly Count, go to bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/ and register as a citizen scientist, or download the free app for iOS and Android.
Choose a place to watch and spend 15 minutes, identifying and recording the butterflies you spot.
Sightings can than be submitted to the website and app, and participants will be able to look at the interactive maps to see how your data is contributing to conservation science and research.
The Big Butterfly Count takes place from from Friday, July 16, to Sunday, August 8.