Butterfly guide at the ready, eyes peeled, we'll be exploring Cleeve Common & the Butterfly Conservation reserve for winged beauties! Join us and the Butterfly Conservation to go on a butterfly hunt on Cleeve Common and in Prestbury Hill reserve.

Meet at the pylons (or masts) car park where we will start our adventure. Bug hunting kit is provided. At a couple of points on the route, we will stop to complete a 15-minute butterfly count which we can then submit the results to the national survey!

Make a willow butterfly to take home with you.

Friday 29th July

1-3pm

Tickets £3 - book here

You may wish to download the app ahead of the event to do this - but we will have paper surveys for people to complete on the day.

Booking essential. You only need to book tickets for children participating.

Suitable for children aged 5yrs and older, though younger siblings welcome. All children must be supervised.

What is the Big Butterfly Count?
The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world's biggest survey of butterflies. Over 107,000 citizen scientists took part in 2021, submitting 152,039 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.The Big Butterfly Count 2022 reopens on 1st July ready for the main event between 15th July and 7th August.

Why count butterflies?
We count butterflies because not only are they beautiful creatures to be around but they are also extremely important. They are vital parts of the ecosystem as both pollinators and components of the food chain. However, they are under threat. Numbers of butterflies and moths in the UK have decreased significantly since the 1970s. This is a warning that cannot be ignored. Butterfly declines are also an early warning for other wildlife losses. 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.