Large White [m], Great Parks, Paignton, 27.4.20 (Dave Holloway)

It’s finally here! This year’s Big Butterfly Count is upon us, and thousands of people will be making their way outside and having a good look around to see if they spot any butterflies or day-flying moths. For any newcomers, or those needing to brush up on the campaign, here is a brief guide to spotting butterflies. Remember, the campaign runs from 15th July to 7th August, but there will be a bit of time after this to keep submitting your sightings too! 

Where to go 

The Big Butterfly Count encourages you to go to any green space for just 15 minutes to do your sighting. Different species of butterflies enjoy different habitats but the most common are grasslands such as undercliffs, hedgerows, meadows, riverbanks, and commons.  This will, of course, be slightly more difficult for people in more urban areas but here is a list of suggestions of where you can find spaces where you can perch for the 15 minutes and have a good look. This could just be a small patch of grass and doesn’t need to be a huge or open space:

  • Churchyards/Cemeteries
  • Parks
  • Historical sites e.g. monasteries

If there are no green spaces around or near you, you could also try sitting in calmer spaces, for example, car parks away from roads or even from your balcony. 

Remember: even if you don’t spot any butterflies or moths this is still valuable information that tells us where populations will be less dense. So, even if you don’t get to see any of these beautiful creatures please still submit this as a response.

Most common butterflies to spot

Painted Lady (Toby Ludlow)
Painted Lady, Toby Ludlow

In previous Big Butterfly Counts, the Painted Lady had the most sightings in each UK country.

These classic beauties can be seen across the UK in a variety of habitats, although they do particularly like dry open areas.

The Meadow Brown can be seen in many of the habitats cited above and is particularly abundant. You could go to any grassy environment, from meadows to hedgerows, or open spaces like parks. The Meadow Brown is one of the most well-populated butterfly species so if you’re looking to check at least one off your ID checklist keep your eyes peeled for the stroking black dots on each wing.

The Speckled Wood can also be seen in all four countries across the UK and has seen significant distribution increases since the 1970s (of a whopping 71%!). As their name would suggest, they fly in shaded woodland, the males resting in sunny spots. 

Common Blue (Mike Pickwell)
Common Blue, Mike Pickwell

Likewise, the Common Blue is also spread across England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. This very common butterfly can be seen in a range of locations including more urban sites like cemeteries. They particularly like sunny sheltered spots, so this one is a good one to keep an eye out if you’re out and about on a golf course or in a wood clearing!

Identify via size

Other butterflies might be easier to spot simply because they’re bigger! Many of our species are within the 40mm-60mm range, but bigger ones include the Red Admiral whose wing span ranges from 67mm-72mm. Likewise, you might be able to identify other butterflies because they are much smaller, for example, the Small Copper is (you’ve guessed it!) quite small, measuring just 32-35mm. 

Small Coppers on Ragwort, Clough Wood - 22nd Sept 21 - Tony Pioli.jpg
Small Coppers, Tony Pioli

However, when trying to tell the difference between different species of the same colour, size is not always the best feature to focus on:

 

Telling the difference between certain types

As you can see on the ID checklists, there are three different types of white butterflies included in Big Butterfly Count’s to-spot list: Large White, Small White, and Green-Veined White. However, while telling the difference between different coloured species might be easier by noticing their size, butterflies can vary rather a lot and, in some cases, (contrary to what we might expect) Large White individually could actually be smaller than Small Whites on occasion.

The golden rule for identifying species in the White family is therefore to get up close and personal with them as seeing the underside of their wing is the way to be certain of their identification. For example, Large Whites and Small whites have a plain creamy white colour with no obvious marking, while the Green-Veined has greeny-grey lines following from the wing veins to the outer edge of the wing. The difference between Large and Small Whites is then down to the extent of the black marks on their wing tips (with Large White having more!).
For a more in-depth guide to differentiating between the Whites, please see here

Meanwhile, the difference between Common Blue and Holly Blue might be just as difficult. Both species are widespread and have a wingspan of about 35mm so, again, identifying by size isn’t possible. 

Small White (Mike Pickwell)
Small White, Mike Pickwell

The key distinguisher will be their undersides, where the Holly Blue has small black dots, whereas the Common Blue has orange specks at the top of the underwing, underneath a clear black edge. While the Common Blue also has black dots these are surrounded by a much lighter colour.

However, there is also a difference between males and females to keep in mind. Where the Common Blue has a striking metallic blue shade for the males, the female’s upperwings can vary from completely blue to completely brown instead!

To find your ID checklist please visit the Big Butterfly Count website to download the guide. 


Don’t worry about the weather

Ringlet [f], Hisley Wood, Bovey Valley, 2.6.21 (Dave Holloway)
Ringlet, Dave Holloway

We hope that Big Butterfly Count gives people the opportunity to get out in the sunshine, however, we’re no strangers to how temperamental the UK’s weather can be! But fear not, while butterflies aren’t fans of the rain, in other weather, there’s still an opportunity to spot them. Ringlet butterflies, for example, are happy to show their characteristic bobbing through foggy conditions so even if the weather is less than desirable, you’re still in with the chance of a treat of a sighting even if in cloudy conditions!

Happy counting!