Big Butterfly Count: Some species almost halved in NI

Butterflies continue to struggle in Northern Ireland, according to the results of the 2022 Big Butterfly Count. The project by Butterfly Conservation was carried out for just over three weeks during the summer, as it has been every year for more than a decade. It showed the numbers of some species have almost halved in Northern Ireland, while others are performing better. A representative from the organisation said numbers "just aren't high enough". Rosie Irwin, senior engagement officer with Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland, said they were typically seeing about nine species in the average count. "It's not what we would expect to see," she said. "There are approximately 27/28 species in Northern Ireland, then 32 or 33 give or take a few migrant species across the island of Ireland, so you would expect to see a lot more than that." Species like the Small White and Silver Y showed declines of almost 50%. Other species, like the Red Admiral, have tripled while the Peacock doubled.