The Big Butterfly Count: Are these the most beautiful butterflies?
- Published
The Big Butterfly Count is the world's largest butterfly survey and it's starting on 19 July. Last year, over 100,000 people across the UK took part, counting over 97,000 butterflies. People are being asked to spend 15 minutes spotting common butterflies and day-flying moths during the three weeks of high summer. It's to help experts to check on the health of our environment and notice any trends.
Butterflies are known for the beautiful patterns on their wings, so here are some of our favourites from around the world. A common one which you may well have seen before is the Peacock butterfly, which gets its name because of its red wings and patterns similar to those seen on peacocks. It's found in gardens across the UK and is quite common - so you may well spot one!
It's clear to see why this butterfly has its name! The Zebra Longwing has beautiful white stripes across its wings. They have these to warn off any predators looking for a meal. We also think they look pretty beautiful too!
This Blue Morpho butterfly definitely caught our eye. You'd have to travel a long way if you want to catch a glimpse of one though, as it mainly lives in the tropics of the Amazon and Atlantic forests.
The Apollo butterfly's lovely black and colourful spots look really striking against the background of its white wings. This butterfly prefers living in the mountains, so if you're ever hiking near Spain, Greece or Italy, look out for this beauty.
The Emerald Swallowtail is exclusive to South East Asia. Its bright green colour is very unique and the bottoms of its wings are especially eye-catching, with their stunning raindrop shape.
The Glasswinged butterfly is one that you'd have to be incredibly lucky to see. Their see-through wings mean it can camouflage with almost anything in the rainforest - a useful skill!
Is this an owl or butterflies?! Owl butterflies look pretty amazing with their huge eye-spot patterns. They wouldn't look out of place in the barn, but that's not all. Much like owls, these butterflies prefer to fly at night to avoid other winged-predators.
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