WWT and Attenborough get all aflutter
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and Sir David Attenborough are inviting you to get outside this summer to count butterflies.
The Big Butterfly Count runs till Sunday 9 August. You can pick up a spotter sheet at your nearest Wetland Centre so that you can tick off what you see.
All our wetland centres are great for butterfly spotting – for example check out the insect garden at Washington, the sensory garden at Castle Espie or the butterfly garden at Slimbridge. Kids can also pick up a Nature Explorers passport and earn a stamp for each activity they do, like bug hunting or moth trapping – different centres are offering a variety of different activities.
You can also download a butterfly spotter sheet to spot butterflies where you live. You’re especially invited to look out for Painted Lady butterflies, which appear to be seeing a huge influx from the continent this year.
WWT Vice President Sir David Attenborough launched the Big Butterfly Count at London Wetland Centre, on behalf of WWT’s nine wetland centres across the UK. He said the UK’s butterflies are on a par with great wildlife across the world:
“We tend to think in the British Isles we haven’t got dramatic animals - that’s because blokes like me on the television keep on putting elephants and giraffes on your screen - but there are wonderful things in this country and butterflies are not the least of them.”
“We want to know how many butterflies there are in this country, what kind they are and how they’re doing. Find a nice place and, when the sun shines, just for 15 minutes note down what butterflies you see.”
WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray said:
“I’m delighted to be able to support this wonderful project. WWT wetland centres are a great place to see loads of butterfly species.
“At London Wetland Centre alone we’ve got at least 25 types of day-flying butterflies and moths including skippers and a lovely golden butterfly called a Gatekeeper that loves to bask in the sun around the visitor centre. Find out what you can see at your local wetland centre!”
The Big Butterfly Count is run by Butterfly Conservation and supported by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, which are closely linked. WWT founder Sir Peter Scott was Butterfly Conservation’s first President, and WWT Vice President Sir David Attenborough is their current President. Both organisations were set up with the ethos that conservation science should involve people getting outside and having fun.
