Count yourself in for the Big Butterfly Count 2014
Arundel Wetland Centre urges you to get outside for the Big Butterfly Count this summer. Visitors to the wetland nature reserve can pick up the official Big Butterfly Count ID chart free at the admissions desk in the Arundel Wetland Centre visitor centre starting Sat 19 July. Sir David Attenborough officially launched the Big Butterfly Count 2014 at London Wetland Centre this week. The counts runs until August 10.
Paul Stevens Grounds Manager at Arundel Wetland Centre says “Red admirals and peacock butterflies are emerging now around the reserve. About 12 butterfly species are regulars here but we do get some surprises. Last summer I recorded an Adonis Blue on the reserve.” The Adonis Blue butterfly is usually found on south-facing slopes of chalk grassland up on the South Downs.
Butterfly Conservation UK is asking people to spend 15 minutes outside with the ID chart between Sat 19 July and Sun 10 August and count the types and numbers of butterflies they see then post their results to a website.
Butterflies are a key indicator species of the health of our environment – if they’re struggling, then many other species like birds, bees and bats are struggling too. Butterfly numbers have improved after a terrible 2012 but are still below average. Three quarters of the UK’s butterflies are in decline, including the common copper, and a third are in danger of extinction.
Every year, WWT helps Butterfly Conservation invite as many people as possible to have fun counting butterflies, which at the same time helps researchers find out how our much-loved native species are faring.
Last year, 800,000 butterflies were counted by 46,000 people. So this year Sir David is hoping that, together, we can break that record and count more than a million.
WWT Vice President and Butterfly Conservation President Sir David Attenborough said: “Every single person taking part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer can produce a statistic that is of real value as their records help build a picture of how butterflies are faring and how we can best conserve them.”
Clearly impressed with the London Wetland Centre which he launched, Sir David also praised the pioneering spirit of Sir Peter Scott: “WWT Wetland Centres are a British innovation, pioneered, masterminded and invented by Sir Peter Scott, one of the 20th century’s greatest naturalists. They are fantastic. They bring people and wildlife closer together than anywhere else I can think of. They’re something this country should be very proud of.”
WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray said “WWT is delighted to host the launch of the Big Butterfly Count once again. Our visitors often tell us how much they enjoy seeing butterflies at our Wetland Centres. The Count is a wonderful way to help the natural world by doing just that – enjoying spotting butterflies.”
For the duration of the Big Butterfly Count, all nine WWT Wetland Centres have free spotter sheets to help you have a fun day out and do your bit for our beautiful butterflies. You can download them at wwt.org.uk/bigbutterflycount
