Butterflies and moths survey results

28 October 2008

Thank you to everyone who has entered their results online. I hope you enjoy looking at the results on the graphs and maps. Look on the Surveys page to see how many butterflies and moths were found near where you live.

Meadow Brown

The largest number of butterflies seen during the survey was the Meadow Browns. You saw 224 across the UK and a whopping 186 in England. The highest number was seen in the South East of England.

Red Admiral

There were a high number of Red Admirals recorded. Wildsquare participants together saw 158 of them in England, 26 in Scotland and 10 in Wales. This means this butterfly was seen throughout the country to some degree. Some of the butterflies recorded would have been 'home-grown' from over-wintering adults, but the majority of these butterflies would have been migrants. 

Comma

The Comma had high numbers in England, but the numbers were a lot lower in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. From other records, there has been a rapid expansion of the species in the north and in Scotland. It was only in the mid 1990's that this moth was recorded as far north as the Lake District.

Peacock

This butterfly is probably the first butterfly we learn as a child. There were good numbers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is a pretty and colourful butterfly with very distinctive markings. They are mainly associated with Buddleia bushes.

Other species which were seen in high numbers were Brimstone, Painted lady and Speckled wood butterflies. The largest numbers of moths seen were the comma, cinnabar and silver Y.

Many species have declined over recent decades. Others are spreading northwards into new areas, probably because of global warming.

Butterflies are good indicators of environmental change and the quality of our countryside and urban landscape. Habitat loss can also reduce numbers of many more common moth species.

However, any decline in these species will have a knock-on effect on the birds, bats and mammals, which depend on them for food.