Big Butterfly Count: Pictures of sightings from across our region

Launched twelve years ago, with the aim to help assess and protect the UK's moths and butterflies, the Big Butterfly Count finishes this Sunday 7 August.

Over 107,000 citizen scientists took part in 2021, submitting 152,039 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.

Butterfly Conservation ask just 15 minutes of your time count and log the type and number of butterflies you can see in one space.

A big thank you to Calendar viewers who have sent in photos this week. There's a variety of different species across the patch and it's lovely to see the array of colours and sizes.

How to take part

Simply count butterflies for 15 minutes during bright (preferably sunny) weather during the Big Butterfly Count. We have chosen this time of year because most butterflies are at the adult stage of their lifecycle, so more likely to be seen. Records are welcome from anywhere: from parks, school grounds and gardens, to fields and forests.

If you are counting from a fixed position in your garden, count the maximum number of each species that you can see at a single time. For example, if you see three Red Admirals together on a buddleia bush then record it as 3, but if you only see one at a time then record it as 1 (even if you saw one on several occasions) - this is so that you don't count the same butterfly more than once.

If you are doing your count on a walk, then simply total up the number of each butterfly species that you see during the 15 minutes.

For more information visit Butterfly Conservation