An annual, but casual, butterfly count is carried out at Fairfield, and 2025 saw numbers pick up from a 2024 low. You may remember that 2024 was a very poor year for butterflies over the whole of the UK.
This year, 2025, white butterflies showed strongly, but certain species appeared to be missing or in very low numbers, particularly Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks, which are usually fairly common.
Overall the long term trends show a continuing decline in butterfly numbers.
Butterfly charts
An Excel sheet with all the data is available to download. The charts below summarise key findings and enable a quick comparison with previous years.
Christine Bennet
