It's week 14. Did you know you can look back at the data from your site for previous years? There are various charts and tables showing the data, just log in to the UKBMS website and go to 'My data'. Handy video on how to do this - buff.ly/1JCT7yG

First Grayling out on Studland Heath transect, the earliest in its 51 years! Still good numbers of Silver-studded Blue and heaths looking surprisingly green despite the hot weather @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

📣 New paper by Mingrui Li @uniexecec.bsky.social shows systematic differences in butterfly flight period estimates from monitoring vs opportunistic data. @jonbennie.bsky.social, @davidroybrc.bsky.social, @robboyd.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Its the start of week 14 of the transect season and the weather looks good. Marbled Whites exploded last week in Dorset and are having a fantastic year. Our recorders are wowed by seeing so many. Gatekeepers are just emerging so with Ringlets + Meadow Browns counting gets tricky @ukbms.bsky.social

Today is the start of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey! This volunteer scheme monitors butterflies across 1900 randomly allocated 1km squares across the UK. The core survey runs from now until the end of August, providing crucial data on butterflies. Get involved ⬇️ buff.ly/YLnZSVB

The core survey season of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey starts tomorrow. Recorders will be visiting their 1km squares in July and August to survey butterflies. This survey provides valuable info on how butterflies are doing across the UK. Get involved ukbms.org/wider-countr...

The UKPoMS Stats and Annual Report were released today giving an important insight into how pollinating insects are doing, as well as providing valuable data on which flowers attract butterflies, day-flying moths and other pollinating insects. ukpoms.org.uk/sites/defaul... @pomscheme.bsky.social

We are halfway through the transect recording season and it’s the time when counting gets difficult with lots of Meadow Browns mingled with Ringlets and Gatekeepers. Whites are low this year so we don’t have those to contend with. See latest sightings here www.dorsetbutterflies.com/sightings/re...

Week 13 and it was a scorching 🥵 morning out on the Southbourne Butterfly Transect. Plenty of Whites about (including this Large White). A couple of fast moving Painted Lady and a equally quick Clouded Yellow and that was about it. Southbourne Dorset

Week 13 and we're halfway through!! 🎉 👏 👏 The mid-point of the transect survey season, a good chance to look back and appreciate all we've seen and look ahead to the late summer species. What have been your best sightings so far?

Catch up on the latest UKBMS news with our Summer eNewsletter. This edition includes 2025 UKBMS results highlights, seasonal guidance, ways to get involved and FAQs from surveyors. buff.ly/gRxnwuE

Out now! The Annual Newsletter for the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey. Find out about the WCBS results for 2025 and read some great articles about butterflies in urban habitats. ukbms.org/sites/defaul...

Great opportunity for @bbs-birds.bsky.social volunteers to learn more about butterflies, including ID and how to carry out butterfly surveys on BBS squares. Its free 🎉, with lunch 🍱 and run by a great team. What more could you want! Sat June 20th at BTO HQ, booking below ⬇️

Its week 12! For the keen beans - did you know - you can carry out more than one walk a week on your transect - as long at the weather is right. The data from multiple walks will be averaged for analysis.

It’s the start of week 11 of the transect season. Meadow Browns are surging ahead now but Small Heaths are also having a good year. But the spring season is probably over now with the last Orange-tip, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers seen @ukbms.bsky.social

Its week eleven! Have you entered your data to the UKBMS website? Get ahead and enter your walks as you go instead of waiting to end of the season. Its much safe than risking those precious forms or notebooks being chewed by the dog, having coffee split on them or blowing away😉

Monks Wood in Cambs has a storied butterfly past. Black Hairstreak was first noted as a UK species here. Ernie Pollard developed the @ukbms.bsky.social transect design here, and it's had a transect ever since - 50+ years of data. It remains one of the best wildlife sites in the east of England.

Its week ten! Remember to record the percentage sunshine for each section of your transect - how to decide if its sunny? If you cast a shadow, that counts as sunshine 🌞

Its one month until the start of the core survey season for the Wider Countrsydie Butterfly Survey. This citizen science scheme monitors butterflies across the UK landscape. Want to get involved? Check out our Volunteer Opportunities page - volunteer.butterfly-conservation.org/opportunitie...

We're recruiting a Transect Coordinator for Somerset and Bristol. Help support and inspire local Transect Surveyors while gaining experience in monitoring methods and local butterfly populations. More info here - volunteer.butterfly-conservation.org/opportunitie...

It's the start of week nine for UKBMS butterfly transects. If you're walking a transect, enter your data on the UKBMS website ASAP so it's secure — once submitted it feeds into iRecord for county recorders and others to use.

Please note - Indicia systems, including the UKBMS website will be offline from 5pm tomorrow Weds 27th May until midday Thurs 28th May for planned essential maintenance. Thanks for your patience!

North of England opportunities! Help us monitor the rare butterflies of peatland habitats across the N of England. We need more data to understand the value of peat to Large Heath, Green Hairstreak, Small-bordered Frits and moths. Find out more ⬇️

(1/) If you would like to practice butterfly identification in a supportive environment and learn more about monitoring these colourful creatures, sign up for our FREE event at BTO Headquarters in Norfolk on Saturday 20 June: www.bto.org/our-work/eve... @btobirds.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

Britains favourite butterfly - cast your votes now! buff.ly/bGqz8Oj Maybe for the iconic woodland species, the White Admiral, which just happens to also be the UKBMS logo and only has 65 votes so far! (Biased...who's biased..?!!) It is a stunner!

Please note - Indicia systems, inlcuding the UKBMS website will be offline from 5pm today until tomorrow morning for planned essential maintenance. Thanks for your patience!

Its week eight! We are two months through, well done and thinkyou to all the UKBMS Surveyors! Remember, if you're walking with a friend, only record the butterflies that one of you see - not both - otherwise you'll be doubling the recorder effort and over-inflating the numbers.

Week seven of UKBMS butterfly transects starts today. You can walk your transect on any day from Weds 13th May to Tues 18th May. Check the forecast to choose the best day - warm, sunny and not windy. You can check the weather criteria in our resources - ukbms.org/sites/defaul...

Today is the start of week six of UKBMS butterfly transects. Thousands of volunteers go out each week to walk a butterfly transect and contribute data to a fifty year-long dataset. Want to get involved..? Visit our website for all the info - ukbms.org

Week five of UKBMS transects starts today! Keep an eye on the forecast for a warm, bright and still day to carry out your survey. Winds should be less than beaufort scale 5 - if small branches are moving then its probably getting too windy.

Its week four, we are one month in! Did you know, you can look back at the data you've submitted so far, including data others have entered for your transect. Visit the UKBMS website and go to My data>Reporting>Annual Summary to see some handy charts and tables. ukbms.org/annual-summary

Happening next week, our workshop on monitoring the Northern Brown Argus. This under-appreciated butterfly is found in small colonies in northern England and Scotland. We need more people to get involved with egg counts. Book your free place: butterfly-conservation.org/events/north...

Our review of fifty year butterfly trends at Ballard Down is out. An amazing record that shows some fascinating ups and downs. Diversity has held up well. Winners are Dark Green Frit, Marbled White and Speckled Wood. Losers: Grayling, Green Hairstreak and Chalk Hill Blue. dispar.org/reference.ph...

60% of species had an above average year in the 2025 @ukbms.bsky.social results. Purple Emperor (📷 @iainhleach.bsky.social) & Black Hairstreak both had their 2nd best years on record. 🎉

Glanville Fritillary had its 3rd best year in 2025 according to the @ukbms.bsky.social results. This species has bucked the general pattern of long-term decline for habitat specialist butterflies in the UK - its numbers have increased by 244% @savebutterflies.bsky.social (📷Mark Searle)

Habitat generalist butterflies tend to be faring better in the UK. Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) had its 4th best yr at @ukbms.bsky.social sites in 2025. It also had its best yr on record in Scotland. In the UK, its numbers are up 87% since 1976, but in Scotland abundance is 566% up this century

A deeper dive into the 2025 UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme results. Most species increased at monitored sites compared to 2024, but many were still below average. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) had its 2nd worst year & has decreased by 74% since 1976. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Extraordinary dataset of 44 million+ records of UK #butterflies collected by 782,000 volunteers in the past 50 years shows many species are in long-term decline eg Pearl-bordered Fritillary. @ukbms.bsky.social is run by @savebutterflies.bsky.social, UKCEH, @btobirds.bsky.social, and JNCC. 🧪 1/

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) also had a poor year in 2025, its 4th worst in 50 years. Its abundance has decreased by 63% at @ukbms.bsky.social sites over that time. @savebutterflies.bsky.social (📷 @iainhleach.bsky.social)

Its week three! You can walk your transect on any day of the week. But its best to walk during the first suitable weather window - some weeks you may not get a second chance! Remember the minimum temp 🌡️ is 13oC in sunshine, 17oC if its overcast.

UKBMS results out today! Results from fifty years of butterfly monitoring! The UKBMS data reveals declines in 33 species over the last 50 years. Check out the full story below butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo... And the full 2025 statistics can be found here: jncc.gov.uk/our-work/off...

We need more people to help us monitor populations of the Northern Brown Argus. This wonderful butterfly is found in small colonies in northern England and Scotland. Join our free workshop to learn more: butterfly-conservation.org/events/north... @bchighland.bsky.social @bcyorkshire.bsky.social

Looks like the UKBMS website is down, along with the iRecord website. Our partners @ukceh.bsky.social are working on fixing it. Thanks for your patience!

Want to know where to see butterflies in Cambridgeshire? I prepared a short guide to many of the best sites across the county. From the Small Blues of Magog Down, to Wall Brown in the Fens, to the Skippers of Swaddywell. butterfly-conservation.org/in-your-area...

Lancashire based butterfly enthusiasts... We are looking for volunteers to take on a 1km square as part of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey. You visit twice during the summer to walk a transect and record all the butterflies you see. volunteer.butterfly-conservation.org/opportunitie...

Great to see the 2025 BBS report out now. It also has an article from UKBMS about how the fantastic BBS volunteers also help us monitor butterflies as part of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey 👍

Today is the start of week two! Butterfly transect Surveyors have had a great first week with the warm spring and sunshine resulting in lots of butterfly sightings. What will week two bring..? Want to get involved? Find out more - ukbms.org

Butterfly enthusiasts needed in Kent! We're working with @kentwildlife.bsky.social to recruit more butterfly surveyors on nature reserves in Kent. Can you ID butterflies and spare some time to walk a transect? If so find out more below, we'd love to work with you! buff.ly/llcOz1Y

Welcome to the new season for #pollinator FIT Counts! Our latest e-news was sent out this morning - read it here mailchi.mp/7e658beeba40... and subscribe at ukpoms.org.uk/subscribe As soon as the weather is warm enough we hope that you will enjoy watching and counting insects on flowers with us.

Want to get involved in monitoring butterflies and contribute to a 50yr dataset tracking populations of butterflies in the UK? We have opporunities to join teams surveying transects in some great locations in Lancashire. Find out more here: buff.ly/3cnIupq @BC_Lancs