Butterfly sightings increase in this year's count

Butterfly spotters record species like the Common Blue

There are likely to be thousands of butterfly sightings recorded in Guernsey as part of an annual count, the island's Nature Commission has said.

Citizen scientists completed 282 butterfly counts in Guernsey this year, compared with 89 last year.

It is part of the national survey organised by the Butterfly Conservation which finished on Sunday 10 August.

Islanders were asked to log their data on the bailiwick map by the end of August.

The Nature Commission said although they did not know the total number of butterflies recorded at this stage it was likely to be in the thousands.

It said 962 butterflies from 89 counts were recorded last year.

The Nature Commission's head of operations and education Angela Salmon said the team was "thrilled" with the engagement this year.

She said: "So many more people [have been] taking part out and about in nature and enjoying butterflies."

It followed a social media campaign and talks given in schools to encourage people to join in.

People were asked to spend 15 minutes in their garden or on a walk recording the number and variety of butterflies they spotted to help build up a picture of the insects this summer.

The final number of butterflies seen, the number of counts, number of citizen scientists and the top butterflies are likely to be available in September.

Correction 14 August 2025: This story was changed to make it clear the number of butterfly counts is separate from the total number of butterfly sightings.