UKBMS

Our Autumn eNewsletter is here! 🍂 Catch up on this summer’s UKBMS surveys, get a first glimpse of the initial 2026 data, and discover the latest news from UKBMS transects and WCBS Squares. ukbms.org/sites/defaul...

Week 24 starts today! Do you need any pointers to help you enter your data? We have great videos and resources that walk you through it how to do it. You'll find them all on the UKBMS our website here: buff.ly/di3oDpJ

Its week 23 of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme! September is here and we're into the last month of the survey. Some summer species may no longer be on the wing, but keep an eye out for second (or even third) broods of some species.

Its week 22! Did you know that the sightings you enter to the UKBMS also feed through to iRecord? This makes them available to county recorders, species experts and researchers. If you have an iRecord account you can view your UKBMS records all together with your other records.

Today is the start of week 21. The deadline for submitting all your data for the UKBMS is the end of October - so get ahead and enter all your data to date. This gives our team of volunteer Coordinators and species experts time to check, validate and verify your records.

Its week 20. Thinking of setting up a new transect for next year..? Now is a good time to trial it and make any tweaks it so it's ready for the next season. Once finalised, the route can't be changed, so testing it first is crucial. More info here: buff.ly/zQyStix

Its week 19 of the transect season and numbers of many species are on the wane, notably Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper which have been abundant recently. A lot of Clouded Yellows are being recorded and 2nd brood Brown Argus are numerous despite the drought, which is getting very extreme now in Dorset.

Its week 19, August already! If you're off on your hols and someone is covering your transect, make sure they are linked to it on the UKBMS website so they can enter data and are signed up to Assemble. UKBMS website: buff.ly/ndO4Aob Assemble: buff.ly/LIF7yMF

Our next event is our Open Day at Ryton Wood Meadows on Sat 15th! 🦋 Come & discover this reserve with us & meet fellow enthusiasts. Guided walks, refreshments & cake. Full details on our webpage: butterfly-conservation.org/events/warwi...

We look back at the 2026 Butterfly season with less than 20% of season remaining in terms of butterfly numbers. 11 species had their best or 2nd best summers ever with representatives from every family. Gatekeeper for the Browns but it was also very much a Vanessid, Lycaenid and Pierid summer.

My 2 Wider Countryside butterfly recording squares on Lulworth Army ranges felt like the end of days, with brown grass and very few butterflies left. Just the odd Meadow Brown, Wall, Small Heath +whites in 4 km. And one very worn Lulworth Skipper @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

Its been another record year for Silver-studded Blue at Studland NNR with total count of 2164, just beating 2024. That's nearly a 12 fold increase over 16 years. The huge rise with little management is a puzzle and is explored in our paper dispar.org/reference.ph.... @ukbms.bsky.social

My final survey of the spring/summer was a WCBS visit to Brantham this morning. 94 butterflies of 12 species, both personal August highs. Highlight a helice female Clouded Yellow. Spent the afternoon with my mum then saw Black Stork at Hemley on my way home!

We're recruiting a Transect Coordinator for Suffolk. Help support and inspire local Transect Surveyors while gaining experience in monitoring methods and local butterfly populations. More info here - volunteer.butterfly-conservation.org/opportunitie... @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

We are half way through the core survey season for the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey 👏 👏 Recorders carry out 2 visits to their allocated square, 10 days apart in July and August, to record all the butterflies they see. There's still time to get involved ⬇️ buff.ly/YLnZSVB

Suffolk Branch is run entirely by volunteers. If we do not have enough volunteers to fulfil various roles then the Branch will cease to exist after 35 years. We now have vacancies in two key roles Branch Chair & Transect Co-ordinator Please see suffolkbutterflies.org.uk for details

Butterfly enthusiasts in Cheshire — we need you! Help keep the 20-year butterfly transect alive at Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve near Davenport. We're looking for new volunteers who can ID butterflies and walk 1–2 km. Learn more ⬇️ volunteer.butterfly-conservation.org/opportunitie...

It's week 18! Keeping your data entry up to date is crucial for swift analysis at the season's end. Take a moment to review and enter your data. There's a helpful video to guide you: buff.ly/QSIgMdi

Don't forget, the UKBMS website (and other Indicia sites such as iRecord) will be offline TOMORROW and are expected to be back up from Weds. You'll be unable to access or enter data during this time. Thanks for your patience whilst the team at @ukceh work to boost the storage capacity of the system

Please be aware that the UKBMS website - and other Indicia sites such as iRecord - will be unavailable next week on Tueday 28th July due to maintenance. It is expected that the site will be back up from Wednesday 29th. You'll be unable to enter your UKBMS counts during this time.

Its week 17 Keep at it! The more weeks that you can consistently record, the more valuable the data is to produce UK butterfly population trends and insights into local populations. Missing a week or so is ok, but try not to miss multiple weeks in a row during peak flight times

If anyone doubts the profound impact of climate crisis on butterflies, look at the peak flight week of the Silver-studded Blue at Studland NNR. On average it flies 4 weeks earlier than 50 yrs ago, but first few years vs last two, its 8 weeks! Its doing well but other sp aren't @ukbms.bsky.social

Brill to hear about @bbs-birds.bsky.social volunteers carrying out Wider Countryside Butterfly Surveys on thier BBS squares. Great count @alankmiller.bsky.social, thank you!

Silver-studded Blue numbers tailing off quickly now on the two Studland transects. Almost identical timing as last year. With maybe 1-2 weeks to go before they finish, it looks like 2026 might even break the record for total numbers seen. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

Mad dogs and entomologists go out in the midday sun! My Wider Countryside Butterfly Monitoring @ukbms.bsky.social square on the Lulworth Army ranges was strangely quiet today. I wonder why at 30C! Feels more like August already with a few very faded Lulworth Skippers @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Week 16 starts today! What has been your favorite sighting on your transect walks so far this year..? We've had rare species, new species to a site, large numbers and memorable encounters.

Don't forget, there is planned maintenance on the UKBMS website TODAY from 5pm. This will mean you can't access the wesbite or enter data. Manitenance is expected to last until 9pm. Please keep hold of any data and enter it once the manintenance is complete. Thanks!

Please be aware that the UKBMS website will be unavailable next WEDNESDAY evening July 15th from 5pm due to maintenance. It is expected that the site will be back up by 9pm.

Its week 15! As we head towards the summer holiday period, you may want to get someone to walk your transect if you're away. If you do, they must register on Butterfly Conservations volunteer portal - Assemble. Register here ukbms.org/sites/defaul...

Great effort by all the Transect Surevyors in Dorset ⬇️

Silver-studded Blue just going past their peak on the two Studland NNR transects in Dorset today. Still a combined count of 286 isn't bad. Numbers look similar to the last 2 years, which suggests its rapid rise has plateaued @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

It's week 14. Did you know you can look back at the data from your site for previous years? There are various charts and tables showing the data, just log in to the UKBMS website and go to 'My data'. Handy video on how to do this - buff.ly/1JCT7yG

First Grayling out on Studland Heath transect, the earliest in its 51 years! Still good numbers of Silver-studded Blue and heaths looking surprisingly green despite the hot weather @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social

📣 New paper by Mingrui Li @uniexecec.bsky.social shows systematic differences in butterfly flight period estimates from monitoring vs opportunistic data. @jonbennie.bsky.social, @davidroybrc.bsky.social, @robboyd.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Its the start of week 14 of the transect season and the weather looks good. Marbled Whites exploded last week in Dorset and are having a fantastic year. Our recorders are wowed by seeing so many. Gatekeepers are just emerging so with Ringlets + Meadow Browns counting gets tricky @ukbms.bsky.social

Today is the start of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey! This volunteer scheme monitors butterflies across 1900 randomly allocated 1km squares across the UK. The core survey runs from now until the end of August, providing crucial data on butterflies. Get involved ⬇️ buff.ly/YLnZSVB

The core survey season of the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey starts tomorrow. Recorders will be visiting their 1km squares in July and August to survey butterflies. This survey provides valuable info on how butterflies are doing across the UK. Get involved ukbms.org/wider-countr...

The UKPoMS Stats and Annual Report were released today giving an important insight into how pollinating insects are doing, as well as providing valuable data on which flowers attract butterflies, day-flying moths and other pollinating insects. ukpoms.org.uk/sites/defaul... @pomscheme.bsky.social

We are halfway through the transect recording season and it’s the time when counting gets difficult with lots of Meadow Browns mingled with Ringlets and Gatekeepers. Whites are low this year so we don’t have those to contend with. See latest sightings here www.dorsetbutterflies.com/sightings/re...

Week 13 and it was a scorching 🥵 morning out on the Southbourne Butterfly Transect. Plenty of Whites about (including this Large White). A couple of fast moving Painted Lady and a equally quick Clouded Yellow and that was about it. Southbourne Dorset

Week 13 and we're halfway through!! 🎉 👏 👏 The mid-point of the transect survey season, a good chance to look back and appreciate all we've seen and look ahead to the late summer species. What have been your best sightings so far?

Catch up on the latest UKBMS news with our Summer eNewsletter. This edition includes 2025 UKBMS results highlights, seasonal guidance, ways to get involved and FAQs from surveyors. buff.ly/gRxnwuE

Great opportunity for @bbs-birds.bsky.social volunteers to learn more about butterflies, including ID and how to carry out butterfly surveys on BBS squares. Its free 🎉, with lunch 🍱 and run by a great team. What more could you want! Sat June 20th at BTO HQ, booking below ⬇️