The number of butterflies spotted this year in the UK amount to just over half that recorded last year, according to an annual survey by Butterfly Conservation.
It's the lowest number of butterflies recorded in the 14-year history of The Big Butterfly Count – a survey that aims to help assess the health of our environment by counting the amount and type of butterflies.
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Experts from the wildlife charity say the wet and windy spring combined with the colder-than-usual summer could be contributing to the lack of butterflies, most of which need warm and dry conditions to be able to fly around and mate.
Butterfly Conservation say there are other factors that are contributing to the fall in butterfly numbers, including habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use. Since the 1970s, there has been an 80% decline in butterfly numbers.
"The lack of butterflies this year is a warning sign to us all," says Dr Dan Hoare, Director of Conservation at Butterfly Conservation.
"Nature is sounding the alarm and we must listen. Butterflies are a key indicator species. When they are in trouble we know the wider environment is in trouble too.
“People are telling us that they aren’t seeing butterflies, but simply telling us is not enough," adds Dr Hoare.
"We need everyone to record what they are or aren’t seeing by doing a Big Butterfly Count as this will give us the evidence we need to take vital action to conserve our butterfly species.”
The Big Butterfly Count ends 4 August. It's free, fun and open to anyone. All you need to do is go outside for 15 minutes – to a back garden or balcony, a public park, allotment or country lane – and record the number and species of butterflies you see, then log them on bigbutterflycount.org.
All findings are useful, even if you see very few or no butterflies. The results help scientists understand more about how butterflies in the UK are faring, which in turn informs conservation projects and government policies.
Main image: Small tortoiseshell butterfly. Credit: Matt Berry, Butterfly Conservation
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