Has nature helped you through the last few months? It’s time to return the favour, says BBC Springwatch’s CHRIS PACKHAM
As so many of us have sought comfort, inspiration and hope through spending time in nature during the difficult last few months of lockdown, participating in the Big Butterfly Count 2020 is an easy way for us to do something positive to give back and help conserve nature for future generations.
The fine weather of spring 2020 has seen the earliest average emergences of butterflies for the last 20 years and Butterfly Conservation has received thousands of extra enquiries about butterfly and moth sightings made by an ever more nature-loving public.
This year’s Big Butterfly Count, Butterfly Conservation’s annual citizen science event which saw over 113,000 members of the public take part last year, is ready for its biggest year yet. The UK-wide survey simply asks you to spend 15 minutes in an outdoor space counting the amount and type of butterflies (and some day-flying moths) you see.
Butterfly Conservation have a smartphone app to help you identify species
While so many of us have had a bit more time to appreciate the nature on our doorsteps during the lockdown period, and learning about the natural world has been a mindful distraction from uncertainty, this is a real chance to do something positive and contribute to conserving nature.
Butterflies and moths are key indicators of the health of our environment and anyone can help contribute to our understanding of these incredible creatures by taking part in in the Big Butterfly Count.
The sightings you submit will be used to map and measure populations and the geographic spread of species across the UK. We’re asking everyone who have been given a helping hand from nature this year to return the favour.
The Big Butterfly Count, which is sponsored by B&Q, is open to everyone, aged from three to 103, and provides a real contribution to science and our understanding of butterfly and moth populations in the UK, a key indicator of the health of our environment, including the effects of climate change.
Simply visit Bigbutterflycount.org to find out more or download the free Big Butterfly Count app to enter your findings.
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and BBC London News
- Inside Croydon named Journalist of the Year at 2018 Anna Kennedy Online Autism Heroes Awards
- ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: For three consecutive years, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Inside Croydon has been the source for award-winning nominations in Private Eye magazine’s annual celebration of civic cock-ups
- Inside Croydon had 1.6million pages viewed by 721,000 unique visitors in 2019
