Alternative Recording Methods
Transect Recording
Butterfly transects are a way of measuring changes in the abundance and variety of butterflies present on a site from year to year. This requires a long-term commitment to record butterflies on a weekly basis throughout the six-month period in which butterflies fly in the UK, or if monitoring a single species, the flight period of that species. The data enables us to evaluate changes in butterfly populations and help identify the causes behind those changes.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer transect recorder, please contact our Butterfly Recording Officer.
The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme assesses changes in butterfly abundance across a network of sites, by a combination of weekly 'transect counts' and single visit 'timed' counts.
Wider Countryside Survey
There is growing acknowledgement of the importance of biodiversity in the wider countryside. The focus on historically rich locations for butterflies has led to a lack of monitoring in vast areas of the wider countryside. These areas include farmland, plantation woodland, uplands and urban green spaces.
The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, run by Butterfly Conservation (BC), the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), developed the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) to measure the changing abundance of widespread species in the general countryside.
With 70% of the UK's land in agricultural use. It is essential that butterflies in these areas are monitored to ensure the health our countryside.
What's involved?
A minimum of two visits to a randomly selected square between May and August counting butterflies along two 1km survey lines running roughly north-south through the square. The survey is co-ordinated by Butterfly Conservation with the help of each branch.
If you would like to take part, please contact Keith Warmington for more information.
Timed Count Monitoring
In addition to the transects, we also carry out Timed Count Monitoring of key species at some sites that are only visited once or twice a year.
Submit your records
Use our online recording system to submit your observations of butterflies and day-flying moths.
STARTSearch Sightings Records
To search for records by a particular recorder or location, please use the search fields below.
Annual Report 2018
Our Annual Report includes butterfly and moth survey data collected by hundreds of volunteers and enthusiasts during the previous year. Published spring 2019.
MORE