One question I'm often asked is 'why do we need to record butterflies and moths?' There are several reasons why we do but I would generally reply:
i) They are sensitive to climate change and habitat loss.
ii) Their fortunes directly affect other species directly up the food chain.
iii) They are thus regarded as Indicator Species and reflect the current status of the local natural world.
iv) They give us great pleasure and encourage us to get out and enjoy our local wildlife.
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| Orange Tip - male. Photo by Richard Jeffery |
We are fortunate in the UK to have a vast database of butterfly records documented over many decades. Looking back at historical records shows just how the fortunes of our lepidoptera have changed over the years. Most of the reports that have been compiled in recent years tend to use the mid 1970's (1976?) as the baseline, giving us almost 50 years of data as a comparison.
There are also many private collections of butterfly display cases of species collected, pinned and mounted in the first half of the 20th century that have now ended up in museums and county offices. Of course, this practice is totally frowned upon these days especially with most species in a dramatic state of decline. One of the unintentional benefits of this outdated practice is that we now have a vast bank of material that can be used for DNA comparison.
Butterfly nets and collecting pots have now been superseded by digital and mobile phone cameras to aid with identification.
How do we go about recording butterflies? Are there different methods of recording for garden butterflies and wider countryside butterflies? How are these butterfly records submitted and how are they used?
Starting closer to home, counting and recording butterflies in our own gardens is just as important as recording out in the wider countryside. Providing the right nectar plants will encourage butterflies to visit our gardens, and the addition of suitable larval food plants (generally UK native wildflowers) should encourage them to breed.
The easiest way of recording and submitting garden butterfly records is via the Garden Butterfly Survey platform created by Butterfly Conservation. By signing up and registering your garden it is a simple process to log in and enter any butterfly sightings as and when you see them. There's no need to keep paper records or compile Excel spreadsheets. Use the link below to register and you will be ready for the forthcoming butterfly season.
https://gardenbutterflysurvey.org/
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| Small Copper on Veronicastrum album Photo by Richard Jeffery |
Venturing further afield, you will encounter butterflies on your daily walks and on site visits to local parks and nature reserves. So, how do we record these? I would recommend one of two ways of recording and submitting any butterfly records seen outside of your garden.
The first is to record all of your butterfly and moth sightings in Leicestershire and Rutland on NatureSpot. This invaluable resource is THE place to record all things flora and fauna in the county, and currently boasts over 7800 recorded species on the database. There are species galleries too to aid identification.
The second is for all species recorded OUTSIDE of the county, and for this I would recommend i-Record. The app can be installed on your mobile phone to allow you to record your sightings in real time, and you can also use the i-Record website on your PC or laptop.
Please follow the links below for both websites.
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/
One of the most important methods of recording butterflies is the fixed route butterfly transect. A butterfly transect is carried out weekly throughout the main butterfly season (1st of April to 30th September) and follows a predetermined fixed route. Recording takes place in favourable conditions on warm, calm and preferably sunny days, generally between the hours of 10.00am and 16.00pm. Recorders can work as part of a team on a rota basis and would usually visit the site once a fortnight or once every three weeks. Joining a team allows each recorder to monitor butterflies throughout the changing seasons.
All the data recorded is submitted to the County Recorder (i.e. myself) and is also entered directly onto the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) website. This data ultimately forms part of the regular State of Nature Reports and is used to formulate future conservation plans. Anyone who wishes to take part in this rewarding scheme can use my email address below to contact me and I will help you to either join a team on an existing butterfly transect or help you to set up a new transect in an area where there currently is not one.
Richard Jeffery email address: winrich168@btinternet.com
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| Wall Brown on Bardon Hill Photo by Richard Jeffery |
There are many avenues to explore in butterfly recording and there is one to suit anyone who wishes to investigate and record our local butterflies. Some recorders are quite happy to record the butterflies and other wildlife in there own garden, others prefer to get out and about in the local countryside. Many become addicted to recording and will do both.
The work that is carried out by Butterfly Conservation relies heavily on Citizen Science and the huge number of volunteers that submit thousands of records each year. Anyone can join this happy band of recorders and can record as often as time allows. All records are equally important, whether it is of the rare species in the county or the wider countryside butterflies that we all encounter.
This is an opportunity to help our butterflies (and moths) and to make a difference on many levels; personal, local and national. To quote a well known supermarket; Every Little Helps.
Richard M. Jeffery
Butterfly Recorder for Leicestershire & Rutland
