It's the Thought That Counts?

The UK Big Butterfly Count is one of the largest annual 'citizen science' exercises. It aims to determine what's happening to UK butterfly populations. This year, it runs from the 15th July until the 7th of August and only takes 15 minutes. There are only just over 50 species of butterflies that one can ever see in Britain. If needed, an online guide is provided to help with IDs. I did my count today on scrubland, 3 minutes from my house. I saw 8 Speckled woods (inevitably, the same butterfly may have been glimpsed more than once); 2 Ringlets; 1 Meadow brown; 5 Large whites and 8 Gatekeepers. Not the world's most exciting selection but that's not the point! If you are in the UK, please do a count.