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

WEEK ONE! The UKBMS surveys officially kick off today 🎺 🥳 🦋 If you're taking part, check the weather and choose a good day for your survey this week - temps above 13degrees, sun and light winds are best. Weeks run from each Wednesday to the following Tuesday this year. Good luck!

We're enjoying the UK Butterfly Recorders meeting today! Fascinating talk on using UV torches to monitor Black Hairstreak larvae. More great talks to come... If you couldn't make it today the recording will be up on YouTube in a week or two. 📷: Iain H Leach

(3/) The third video covers the additional recording that you can do as part of surveying a BBS square. This includes how to record mammals, plus how to record butterflies as part of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey: youtu.be/htnTm7YMOwE @ukbms.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Orange-tips are nearly upon us and, surprisingly, Green Hairstreaks were seen today in Cheshire! www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB/viewto...

Its 2 weeks today until the start of the official Butterfly Monitoring season But for any keen beans you can do early transect walks before April 1st if the weather is warm, above 13oC, dry, bright and still. Early counts can be entered on our website as weeks -3, -2, -1, 0 etc.

Live in Herts or NW London + love spotting butterflies? We need volunteers to survey butterfly transects in the area. You'll need to be able to ID butterflies, walk a 1km transect once each week, or in a rota with others. See comments for more details on the sites... @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social

The UKBMS Spring Newsltter is out now! Bringing you seasonal updates about the UKBMS. In this edition we have reminders to get you ready for the start of the season, a dayflying moth ID resource and opportunities to help monitor priority species. ukbms.org/sites/defaul...

If you've enjoyed spotting some early butterflies this spring, why not get involved further and join our surveys. We have three standardised survey methods which provide invaluable data to monitor butterfly populations. See comments below for more info..... 📷 Brimstone: Iain H Leach

Butterfly enthusiasts needed in Wiltshire! Help us survey 1km squares for butterflies as part of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey. Visits take place twice a year in July and August. Find out more: volunteer.butterfly-conservation.org/opportunitie...

The annual get together of Butterfly recorders in the UK is fast approaching and the programme is out. Follow the link to see all the talks, we can't wait to hear them! Reserve your free space here - buff.ly/64eUFQf #UKBRM

Next recorders meeting covering North Dorset is this Saturday 14th March in Gillingham. Several great speakers www.dorsetbutterflies.com/events/

Large Tortoiseshell has been recorded at six counties in the south of England in the last few weeks. Its been recorded on a handful of UKBMS transects in the south east in the last few years. Will we see it expand and consolidate its foothold this year..? butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo...

Get ready for survey season! Its just less than a month to go until the start of UKBMS Transect surveys. Brush up on the survey method with our resources here - buff.ly/Qo4kgNX

Spring is springing! 🙌 More butterflies are beginning to make an appearance, with the first Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) of 2026 spotted on 25 February. 📷 Photos from archive: Nigel Ball, Anna Wheeler

If you fancy listening to me talking about butterflies, moths and how to help them in your garden, there’s a new podcast from the fabulous folk at Garden Organic www.gardenorganic.org.uk/our-views/th...

There's less than a month until the start of the 2026 FIT Count season on 1 April! The Flower-Insect Timed Count survey asks you to spend 10 minutes counting all insects that land on a patch of flowers, to help monitor abundance of #pollinators. 🪰🦋🌻🪲🐝 More info at ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts

Wow, this is an important paper. We had some evidence early on from @ukbms.bsky.social sites but rarely had good data in grazing regimes. But @tombrereton.bsky.social always said that extensive cattle was the best for butterflies and this add yet more evidence

Join us for the UK Butterfly Recorders Meeting! This free event is perfect for butterfly enthusiasts, taking place online on Sat 28th March. Discover the 2025 UKBMS findings and enjoy insights from leading butterfly experts. Reserve your free spot now! butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/...

Butterfly Transect trianing in Derbyshire! Join one of these free sessions to find out more about monitoring butterflies and getting involved in the UKBMS. Led by the local County Recorder, this day will provide you with the skills needed to carry out a butterfly transect as part of the UKBMS.

Save the date! Join us on Sat 28th March 2026 for the UK Butterfly Recorders meeting. This free event is open to anyone intersted in butterfly monitoring. We'll present the 2025 UKBMS results, update on other monitoring schemes and talks about butterfly ecology.

Thinking of monitoring butterflies in your local area or setting up a monitoring project? We have new guidance to help navigate the various monitoring methods and choose the best option for your project. buff.ly/fvThSQq

The winter edition of the UKBMS eNewsletter is out now. Although we may not be seeing any butterflies this weekend, there's still lots to read about and get involved with. link.butterfly-conservation.org/m/1/71172733...

UKBMS data feeds into UK government statistics to measure biodiversity. Each year, @jncc publish Biodiversity Indicators - giving a snapshot of how our biodiveristy is faring buff.ly/Cw71ZAY You can view the latest Biodiversity Indicators here - buff.ly/cyuIo2G

What does 50 yrs of butterfly monitoring tell you? In this case its a puzzle. The dramatic rise of the Silver-studded Blue, Plebejus argus, over 50 yrs at Studland Heath, UK. @ukbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social www.dispar.org/reference.ph...

We're thrilled to share this film featuring some of the dedicated volunteers who monitor butterflies for the UKBMS A huge thank you to them, and everyone who's supported the scheme over the last 50 years. #UKBMS50 youtu.be/OrF5AgseX1U?...

🎉 Just 2 days to go until the UKBMS 50th Anniversary Conference! 🦋✨ There's a great programme lined up - ukbms.org/sites/defaul... and we can't wait to welcome the volunteers, researchers and butterfly‑enthusiasts from across the UK. Last chance to book www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-butterf...

With less than 2 weeks until the UKBMS 50th Anniversary conference we're sharing details of the talks and speakers. Our very own Ian Middlebrook, Programme Lead for the UKBMS, will run an optional workshop on the UKBMS website. Book your free place here ⬇️ buff.ly/Kg7X3tA