I think it is wonderful to be able to take part in such a fun and useful activity. The idea of The Big Butterfly Count to assess the health of our environment.
'Butterflies are key biodiversity indicators for scientists as they react very quickly to changes in their environment. Therefore, if their numbers are falling, then nature is in trouble. So tracking numbers of butterflies is crucial in the fight to conserve our natural world. That's why taking part in this massive citizen science enterprise is of great importance not just for our butterflies but for the wider environment and biodiversity in general.' (taken from https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/about )
I remember when I was at school, that we read a story about time travelling tourists who walked on paths flouting above the ground in order to preserve everything about the past exactly as it was. Something scared one of the people who then ran off the path and killed, you guessed it, a butterfly. When the tourists went back home to their own time there were subtle changes because of the death of that butterfly. (In case you're interested that story was probably Ray Bradbury's 'A Sound of Thunder'). Although this was a story, the impact of a small change clearly resonated with me as I remember the story some years later (no, I'm not saying how many!)
The Big Butterfly Count began in 2010 and has become the world's biggest survey of butterflies. Over 64,000 citizen scientists took part in 2022, submitting 96,257 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.
All you have to do is count butterflies in the sunshine for 15 minutes a day - sounds like a lovely way to spend some valuable time at the allotment.
You can go to the website - https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org - to find out more details but they have an app and a reference poster to help identify the butterfly species. I will be putting up a physical copy of the chart at the allotment and will be reminding you to participate.
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