It makes me a little sick to say this, but, in the 1970s, I used to spend my pocket money on dead butterflies in plastic boxes from The Butterfly Shop near the Brighton Lanes.
I’m not sure that such a shop would be allowed now. I hope not. Different times…
My mum also took me to the Booth Museum of Natural History. This Victorian collection of over 300 cases of stuffed birds as well as butterflies and insects still haunts me.
Where have all the butterflies gone?
Despite my corpse-strewn childhood, I did not become a big game hunter or a seal culler. To make amends, every year I take part in The Big Butterfly Count, the world’s biggest survey of butterflies.
Over 64,000 citizen scientists took part in 2022, submitting 96,257 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.
Following the results of the Big Butterfly Count 2024, Butterfly Conservation declared a butterfly emergency.
The Big Butterfly Count 2025 is taking place between 18 July and 10 August.
You can view all the counts on this interactive map.
Mindful moments
Sitting in a sunny spot for 15 minutes is a perfect mindful moment. So far, I have seen 3 of the top 5 butterflies in my garden:
- 1. Large White
- 3. Gatekeeper
- 4. Red Admiral
Seeing live butterflies fluttering and whirling is a much more joyful occupation than looking at their corpses in glass cases, so get involved!
Join the Big Butterfly Count 2025
Create a Wild Space
A Wild Space is simply an area improved to help butterflies and moths thrive. We have let the grass and ivy grow wild in a few places to create butterfly-friendly habitats.
Alex White writes 
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