Calling all children and their families — people of all ages are needed this July and August for the world’s biggest wildlife survey — the Big Butterfly Count! So, whether you’re a child or an adult, you can play your part. This is a great activity for under-fives too as it’ll be fun, educational, and incredibly worthwhile. What’s more, they’ll become little citizen scientists by taking part. The nature-based activity takes as little as just 15 minutes and costs nothing at all. Children don’t need any special abilities other than a little patience and good observation — both great skills for them to practise. Let’s take a look and see what the Big Butterfly Count is all about and how children can take part this year.
The Big Butterfly Count 2025
The Big Butterfly Count is a nature survey that anyone can take part in during July and August each year. For 2025, it takes place from Friday the 18th of July to Sunday the 10th of August, a period in which temperatures are usually warm and butterfly populations are likely to peak. In essence, all that is required is for butterflies to be counted during a 15-minute period (more detail follows later in this guide). The survey event is open to everyone and, indeed, the more people who take part, the better. So, if you, your child, your family, or your friends want to play a part in protecting butterflies and nature as a whole, please get involved.
What is the Purpose of the Big Butterfly Count?
Nature is under threat. Whether it’s from global warming, habitat loss, or the use of nasty chemicals in gardens and farming, there has been a marked decline in the number of pollinators like butterflies in recent decades. In fact, experts are now calling it a nature emergency:
“Following the results of the Big Butterfly Count 2024, Butterfly Conservation have declared a butterfly emergency, and we need your help more than ever before.” — Butterfly Conservation.
With this in mind, the Big Butterfly Count aims to monitor the populations of a select number of butterfly species over the years. By monitoring populations, trends in butterfly populations can be spotted over time and any problems identified. The findings are worrying, so continued monitoring is essential. Through the Big Butterfly Count, children and families can play their part in this important initiative. By helping to count butterflies in their area, families are helping to get the bigger picture across the nation.
Why is The Big Butterfly Count Important?
The populations of butterflies can be used as a barometer for the health of pollinator numbers and nature as a whole. With some butterfly species already disappearing from our gardens and countryside and others nearing extinction, there is no time to lose. Only by identifying the issues can we, as a nation, begin to reverse some of the decline. By reversing it, it will be good for butterflies, good for other pollinators like bees, good for nature as a whole — and good for humans too! After all, without pollinators, the supply of foods like cereals, fruit, vegetables and legumes would start to run out. So, taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is extremely worthwhile and we urge little ones and their families to take part.
“Counting butterflies can be described as taking the pulse of nature and we depend on you, our citizen scientists, to help us assess how much help nature needs.” — Butterfly Conservation.
How Families Can Take Part in the Big Butterfly Count:
Quick Overview
Taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is easy! To become a little citizen scientist, it takes just a few simple steps:
- Spend 15 minutes in a sunny spot outdoors and count the butterflies you see from the event’s list of target species.
- Submit your sightings at bigbutterflycount.org or log them using the free smartphone app.
- (Optional): You can do as many 15-minute surveys as you like, so long as the location is different each time.
Detailed Instructions
The steps needed in order to take part in the Big Butterfly Count are explained in much greater detail below.
Step 1:
First, ensure you have downloaded and printed out the Big Butterfly Count target species reference sheet — follow the bold, green link if you are taking part in England. (You’ll need to fill in a short form but no purchase or sign-up is necessary. Other areas and languages are available via the same link).
Alternatively, families can take part using the free ‘Big Butterfly Count’ smartphone app, which is available for Android and Apple IOS. Scan the QR code with your smartphone camera to download it.
Although there are potentially many more types of butterflies that can be spotted around the UK, for 2025, the survey and printed ID sheet for England focus on 20 different species of butterfly or daylight-flying moths. That said, in other parts of the UK, you may see a different number featured along with possible extras if using the smartphone app (space is not so limited on the app).
Step 2:
Choose a spot for your butterfly survey. It should be somewhere outside where butterflies are most likely to be seen. Sunny, sheltered spots are good, particularly where a variety of different sizes and types of flowers or blossoms are in bloom.
TIP! Why not prepare for next year by planning your own pollinator-friendly spot in your garden or nearby open space?
Step 3:
Sometime in the period from Friday the 18th of July to Sunday the 10th of August, you/your child should spend 15 minutes making a note of how many of each type of butterfly you can see. Concentrate only on the species included in the event organiser’s reference from Step 1. You must count how many of each single species you see at the same time. So, if you see three Painted Ladies at the same time, then record that as 3. However, if you see one Painted Lady on three separate occasions during the 15 minutes, that would only count as 1 — otherwise, it could simply be the same butterfly revisiting.
OPTIONAL: If your child likes, they can do more than one 15-minute butterfly survey. The only proviso is that they change location each time.
Step 4:
Submit your butterfly survey counts. This can be done easily within the phone app or, if you/your child used the physical ID sheet, submit online at bigbutterflycount.org noting that you will not be able to submit surveys until the event opens on the 18th of July. You can submit surveys up until the 31st of August 2025.
Congratulations little ones — you are now citizen scientists! By taking part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey, you are playing a part in helping nature and making the world a better place — well done! You will also be helping your own knowledge, health, well-being and even grades by getting closer to nature. Learn more about the benefits of nature to children here.
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Did You Know?Little Acorns Nursery, Hindley Green
Nature and outdoor play feature significantly in children’s time at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green. We have extensive grounds with wild zones, nature areas, and lots of opportunities for playing and exploring in the fresh air. We also know how important spending time around nature and outdoor play are to children in their early years — and they enjoy it hugely! Of course, we have fabulous facilities and resources indoors too, with a warm, home-from-home environment where children have fun and thrive in readiness for school as they approach the age of five. Free childcare funding options are available for eligible children aged from just 9 months too.
If you are looking for high-quality weekday childcare in the Wigan area and would like your child to benefit from everything our Hindley Green nursery has to offer, please get in touch using one of the options below:
Little Acorns Nursery, in Hindley Green near Wigan, may also suit families living in nearby locations like Atherton, Leigh, Ince-in-Makerfield, Platt Bridge, Westhoughton, Bickershaw, Tyldesley, and Bolton.
Outdoor Safety
Young children should always be supervised by a responsible adult while playing and exploring outdoors, with potential hazards and dangers of many kinds explained to them.
As parents, we all want the best for our children. We strive to provide them with a nurturing and stimulating environment that supports their growth and development. However, in today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook the importance of nature in our children’s lives.
Make time for outdoor play — set aside regular time for outdoor play and exploration. This can include visits to local parks, nature reserves, or your own back garden.
