Butterfly Bounty survey

How can I help?

Everyone can help record butterflies in Leicestershire & Rutland, by sending your records to the recording scheme you can make a real contribution to their conservation. All records are useful, even of the most common species. The more records that are received, the better we are able to understand the status and distribution of butterflies in the counties. In, turn, this information then helps to provide a better understanding of any changes that might be occurring in our natural environment, as well as helping to shape local nature conservation measures.

What information is needed?

Basically: date, location, species seen (and numbers seen if possible). There are two butterfly recording forms, which have been designed to help recorders provide this information. The Site Recording Form is useful for any sites visited on several occasions through the year. The Casual Record Form is for odd sightings of butterflies, and each form can be used for records from several different locations. But forms are not essential - as long as the essential information is provided, any format will suffice - even a simple hand-written list.

What about butterflies I see in my garden?

The Site Recording Form can be used if you like to keep a note of the butterflies you see on individual dates. However, a simple list of the species seen in your garden over the whole of the year is more than adequate, though it might be useful to note the dates (and numbers seen) for any species of particular interest (e.g. Clouded Yellow).

What information is most useful?

Records of butterflies seen in the countryside are particularly useful and there are still many areas of the county which are under-recorded (e.g. see Small Tortoiseshell distribution map overleaf). Even many of the counties’ nature reserves are poorly recorded and could hold some interesting species of butterflies. If there are any areas that you visit regularly, recording the butterflies that you see on each visit can, over the years, help to provide information about changes in butterfly populations.

Contact the recording scheme - there are plenty of sites and species that could benefit from specially targeted recording visits.

Is it difficult to identify butterflies?

Most of our local butterflies are fairly easy to identify and there are plenty of good identification guides to help. Some of the "whites" can be difficult to separate when in flight, but with practice one can learn to tell them apart. To separate the Small Skipper from the Essex Skipper one needs to look at the underside of the tips of the antennae, so a net, or patience will be required!

Where and when should I send my records?

Records should be sent in towards the end of the year, to the Leicestershire Lepidoptera Recording Scheme at the address shown on recording forms.

       Help with file formats used on this website