Butterfly numbers rise in UK but not by enough, experts say

Conservationists say a UK nationwide butterfly count has provided "disappointing results".

This year's Big Butterfly Count found that despite the number of the winged insects being on the up, this year's record hot summer hadn't help the species as much as expected.

Butterflies are most active and commonly seen during the summer months, which provide the warm, sunny conditions they need for flight and feeding.

According to experts, there's been a decrease in butterfly numbers of more than 80% in the UK over the past 50 years due to factors such as climate change, habitat damage and the use of pesticides.

What did this year's Big Butterfly Count find?

The Big Butterfly Count is a nature survey organised by the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation that takes place in the UK each year.

It involves volunteers spending 15 minutes outdoors to count how many butterflies they see, and what they look like, to help give the charity a better picture of how butterflies are doing in the country.

Last year's wet spring and cool summer saw the lowest number spotted in the survey's 14-year history, with more than 9,000 reports not seeing a single butterfly.

While numbers were much higher compared with 2024, the charity said that 2025 was still not a great year despite the warm and sunny conditions.

As a result, they say that urgent action is still needed to help the insects.

A record of more than 125,000 people took part in this year's count, recording sightings of 1.7 million butterflies and moths.

The top species spotted were large white, small white, gatekeeper, red admiral and meadow brown butterflies.

It was great news for the large white and small white which both recorded their best-ever survey results, while the Jersey tiger moth, was seen more widely and in higher numbers than ever before.

The small tortoiseshell showed some improvement compared with 2024 but still recorded a below-average year and has seen a decline in numbers of 60% in the past 14 years.

The holly blue, common blue and meadow brown also had low numbers recorded this year.

On average, participants saw around 10 butterflies during each 15-minute count, an improvement from last summer's record low of just seven.

Experts say that although numbers are disappointing, there's still time to help.

Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, explained: "There remains a need for us to take urgent action to support our butterfly populations, including by improving the environment in which they live, restoring habitats and reducing pesticide use.

"Until we do these things we are unlikely to see a great recovery in butterfly numbers, regardless of how much the sun shines," he added.