A wildlife charity is calling on Londoners to join in with its butterfly conservation efforts this summer.
Butterfly Conservations’ annual Big Butterfly Count returns on 17 July and asks people around the UK to spend fifteen minutes outside and submit their sightings of butterflies and moths.
The count comes at a time when butterfly conservation is more vital than ever.
In 2024, Butterfly Conservation declared an emergency after numbers fell to their lowest level in the survey’s history, and figures from the 2025 UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) show that more than half of the country’s species are in decline.
Professor Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation’s head of science, said: “What this damning set of figures really shows us today is what type of wildlife is able to survive in the UK’s modern landscapes, and it is not our wonderful specialist species – it is the generalists.
“Just as we have lost family-run shops and traditional skills from the nation’s high streets, so we’ve lost variety and diversity in the butterfly communities that can exist in our damaged and simplified landscapes.”
The charity cites habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use as factors in the decline of butterflies.
Species hit particularly hard include the pearl-bordered Fritillary, which has seen a 70% decline since 1976, and the Small Tortoisehell which is down 87%.
However, some more generalist and adaptable species have bucked the trend, including the Red Admiral, which has seen numbers skyrocket by 330% in the last 40 years.
Butterfly Conservation now hopes as many Londoners as possible join the upcoming count in order to help more species survive and thrive.
Participants may be in with a chance of spotting varieties such as the Holly Blue, the yellow Brimstone, and the Peacock, which was voted London’s favourite butterfly in a recent survey by the charity.
Kate Merry, head of engagement at Butterfly Conservation, said: “It’s been wonderful to see so many people in London get behind their favourite butterflies in the vote.
“Now we want that passion to turn into action!”
The count will run from 17 July to 9 August and participants can submit their sightings with the free Big Butterfly Count app or via the website.
Featured image credit: Nadia Anwar-Watts
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