Results of this year’s Big Butterfly Count revealed

  • Gatekeeper takes top spot
  • Good news for the blues, with increases for Common Blue and Holly Blue
  • Garden favourite the Comma making a comeback
  • The general decline continues though, with fewer butterflies spotted overall

Butterfly Conservation has released data on the number of butterflies and some day-flying moths recorded across this UK during this year’s Big Butterfly Count, which ran from 15th July – 7th August.

The Gatekeeper, a species often found along hedgerows and woodland rides, as well as in gardens, in the southern half of Britain, was the most spotted butterfly during this year’s Big Butterfly Count. This is welcome news, as the Gatekeeper experienced its second worst Big Butterfly Count result in summer 2021, and it’s the first time since 2017 that this species has had the top spot overall.

It was good news for the blues as well – with both the Common Blue and the Holly Blue species faring well in the 2022 Big Butterfly Count. Having had their worst results in 2021, these species bounced back, with the numbers reported increasing by 154% for the Common Blue and 120% for the Holly Blue.

Another winner for the 2022 Count was the Comma, a popular species often found in gardens, that saw an increase of 95% compared with last year. The Comma has been making a slow comeback from its low point in the 1910s and expanding its range rapidly northwards.

An increase in range – a result of climate change – accounts for many of the sightings of these species in the north of the UK. The Holly Blue butterfly, for example, had only occasionally been recorded in Scotland prior to the 2000s, but after becoming firmly established in Edinburgh from 2006 and in Ayr from 2008 the species has subsequently spread across swathes of Scotland.

Overall, the trend for butterflies across the UK remains a declining one, with the results of the Big Butterfly Count 2022 showing an average of just under 9 butterflies seen per Count, which is once again an all-time low in the thirteen years since the citizen science project began.

Species that saw a worrying decline from last year include some well-known favourites, such as Red Admiral, Small White and Meadow Brown.

Head of Science for Butterfly Conservation, Dr Richard Fox, said: “We might have expected this summer to have been a much better one for butterflies given the good weather we experienced in many parts of the UK. The fact that more butterflies weren’t seen is concerning and it’s clear that much more needs to be done to protect and restore habitats to aid nature recovery. The sun could shine for days on end, but we still won’t see more butterflies unless there is habitat for them to thrive in.”

Almost 100,000 Butterfly Counts were carried out during the event, with participants spending a combined total of over two and a half years counting butterflies in their gardens, local parks and in the countryside.

Dr Zoe Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation, said: “The vast majority of Big Butterfly Counts are done in gardens, which makes this data especially valuable because this type of habitat is under-represented in many of our other schemes.

“We can create habitat for butterflies such as the Holly Blue and Comma in our gardens, by cultivating Holly and flowering Ivy for the former and growing Hop, elms and nettles for the latter. Gardens that are wildlife friendly can provide vital habitat for these insects, allowing them space to feed, breed and shelter.”

The Big Butterfly Count is the largest citizen-science project of its kind and relies on volunteers spending 15 minutes outside each summer, counting the number and type of butterflies they see. Taking part each year helps scientists to gather important data on how butterflies and moths are coping with changing climate, changing weather, and habitat loss. Next year’s Big Butterfly Count will take place from Friday 14th July – Sunday 6th August 2023.

THE BUTTERFLY WINNERS AND LOSERS OF SUMMER 2022

Species results in the UK – Big Butterfly Count 2022

 

Big Butterfly Count 2022

UK

Abundance

Ave per count

% change from 2021

1

Gatekeeper

142,618

1.58

58.6%

2

Large White

139,666

1.55

-9.4%

3

Small White

125,839

1.39

-25.8%

4

Meadow Brown

109,310

1.21

-17.5%

5

Red Admiral

40,547

0.45

-20%

6

Peacock

39,199

0.43

-5.5%

7

Small Tortoiseshell

29,288

0.32

13%

8

Comma

27,916

0.31

94.7%

9

Ringlet

26,193

0.29

-38.5%

10

Common Blue

24,592

0.27

154.4%

11

Speckled Wood

24,013

0.27

97.4%

12

Green-veined White

17,162

0.19

-8.1%

13

Holly Blue

14,809

0.16

119.8%

14

Small Copper

12,492

0.14

-18.9%

15

Six-spot Burnet

8,607

0.10

-19.8%

16

Painted Lady

8,288

0.09

1.2%

17

Brimstone

7,321

0.08

36.4%

18

Marbled White

5,521

0.06

-71.4%

19

Jersey Tiger

3,235

0.04

136.5%

20

Silver Y

1,493

0.02

-39.4%

21

Scotch Argus

998

0.01

-36.2%

 

TOTAL

809,107

8.95

-2.8%

Country specific results:

 

Species results in ENGLAND – Big Butterfly Count 2022

 

Big Butterfly Count 2022

ENGLAND

Abundance

Ave per count

% change from 2021

1

Gatekeeper

133,434

1.64

60.09%

2

Large White

130,857

1.60

-8.55%

3

Small White

116,036

1.42

-26.47%

4

Meadow Brown

97,242

1.19

-19.44%

5

Red Admiral

36,329

0.45

-23.61%

6

Peacock

35,891

0.44

-9.67%

7

Comma

26,645

0.33

97.03%

8

Small Tortoiseshell

25,223

0.31

9.18%

9

Common Blue

21,928

0.27

173.39%

10

Speckled Wood

20,582

0.25

104.79%

11

Ringlet

20,054

0.25

-44.82%

12

Green-veined White

14,476

0.18

-9.39%

13

Holly Blue

13,937

0.17

124.81%

14

Small Copper

11,333

0.14

-19.84%

15

Painted Lady

7,510

0.09

0.20%

16

Brimstone

7,162

0.09

36.57%

17

Six-spot Burnet

6,008

0.07

-32.81%

18

Marbled White

5,450

0.07

-71.62%

19

Jersey Tiger

3,143

0.04

139.64%

20

Silver Y

1,179

0.01

-46.14%

 

TOTAL

734,419

9.01

-3.98%

Species results in WALES – Big Butterfly Count 2022

 

Big Butterfly Count 2022

WALES

Abundance

Ave per count

% change from 2021

1

Gatekeeper

8,807

2.04

45%

2

Meadow Brown

7,410

1.72

-9%

3

Large White

5,255

1.22

-14%

4

Small White

4,957

1.15

-16%

5

Red Admiral

2,209

0.51

29%

6

Ringlet

1,888

0.44

-33%

7

Common Blue

1,851

0.43

94%

8

Small Tortoiseshell

1,837

0.43

54%

9

Speckled Wood

1,831

0.43

69%

10

Peacock

1,506

0.35

94%

11

Comma

1,053

0.24

58%

12

Six-spot Burnet

978

0.23

-13%

13

Green-veined White

845

0.20

14%

14

Small Copper

781

0.18

-4%

15

Holly Blue

717

0.17

109%

16

Painted Lady

515

0.12

32%

17

Brimstone

141

0.03

105%

18

Silver Y

100

0.02

-43%

19

Marbled White

67

0.02

-38%

20

Jersey Tiger

63

0.01

138%

 

TOTAL

42,811

9.94

9

 

Species results in SCOTLAND – Big Butterfly Count 2022

 

Big Butterfly Count 2022

Scotland

Abundance

Ave per count

% change from 2021

1

Small White

3,559

1.10

1%

2

Meadow Brown

3,303

1.02

15%

3

Large White

2,750

0.85

-4%

4

Ringlet

2,674

0.83

-10%

5

Peacock

1,372

0.42

243%

6

Small Tortoiseshell

1,360

0.42

17%

7

Green-veined White

1,266

0.39

-8%

8

Red Admiral

1,120

0.35

135%

9

Scotch Argus

996

0.31

-38%

10

Speckled Wood

846

0.26

29%

11

Common Blue

514

0.16

-13%

12

Six-spot Burnet

412

0.13

9%

13

Small Copper

227

0.07

-11%

14

Silver Y

192

0.06

144%

15

Comma

172

0.05

187%

16

Painted Lady

141

0.04

-18%

17

Holly Blue

69

0.02

-35%

 

TOTAL

20,973

6.48

7

 

Species results in NORTHERN IRELAND – Big Butterfly Count 2022

 

Big Butterfly Count 2022

Northern Ireland

Abundance

Ave per count

% change from 2021

1

Ringlet

1,570

1.52

147%

2

Six-spot Burnet

1,290

1.17

183%

3

Small White

1,040

1.01

-28%

4

Meadow Brown

1,003

0.97

136%

5

Small Tortoiseshell

814

0.79

112%

6

Large White

648

0.63

-49%

7

Speckled Wood

619

0.60

79%

8

Red Admiral

605

0.59

302%

9

Green-veined White

552

0.54

-3%

10

Peacock

377

0.37

222%

11

Common Blue

140

0.14

5%

12

Small Copper

93

0.09

-6%

13

Painted Lady

83

0.08

37%

14

Holly Blue

60

0.06

184%

15

Silver Y

13

0.01

-46%

 

TOTAL

8,826

8.56

44%

 

This year, the Big Butterfly Count was sponsored by garden wildlife specialist Vivara and the DFN Foundation, a commissioning charity focused on influencing sustainable change in special needs education, supported employment, healthcare and conservation.