Tag: Britain’s Favourite Butterfly

The Nation has Spoken: Peacock is Britain’s Favourite Butterfly!

Peacock voted Britain’s Favourite Butterfly in first-ever poll

THE nation has spoken and crowned the Peacock Britain’s Favourite Butterfly in a landmark poll. Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has revealed that the colourful Peacock has beaten off fierce competition from a colourful cast of species to take the top spot as Britain’s Favourite Butterfly. 

Topping the first-ever vote to find the nation’s champion, the garden favourite beat 59 other butterflies to claim the highly coveted title, in a vote that saw over 20,000 votes cast across the UK between 15 May – 7 June. 

The top five was a rainbow of colour, with the Orange-tip coming a close second, Red Admiral third, Holly Blue in fourth, and the bright yellow Brimstone coming in fifth. But ultimately, the stunning Peacock, with its eye-catching and instantly recognisable beauty, stole the nation’s hearts. 

Butterfly Conservation’s Head of Engagement, Kate Merry, said: “The response to Britain’s Favourite Butterfly has been absolutely wonderful, and we’re not surprised. It’s clear that people up and down the country love butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colours, and voted in their thousands for their favourites. 

“The Peacock is a worthy winner, it’s a true showstopper and a species that I bet a lot of us picture when we think of butterflies. It’s been really special seeing people get so passionate about their favourites and throw their support behind them!

“Now we can’t wait to see how many Peacocks are spotted up and down the country in this summer’s Big Butterfly Count.”

The result comes at a critical moment for the UK’s butterflies. In 2024 Butterfly Conservation declared a butterfly emergency after numbers recorded during its Big Butterfly Count fell to their lowest ever.

Now the charity is calling on everyone, everywhere to take part in this year’s Big Butterfly Count between Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August to help conservationists get an updated picture of how Britain’s most common butterflies are faring. 

The winner – a showstopping garden icon

The Peacock, Britain’s official favourite, is an iconic butterfly. This showstopper is instantly recognisable with its striking colours and stand-out eye-spots, a remarkable evolutionary defence mechanism designed to ward off predators many times its own size.

It is a regular visitor to gardens and green spaces across the whole of the UK, particularly where patches of nettles can be found as they are its caterpillars’ favourite foodplant. 

The top five – a rainbow of joy across the country

Completing the top five in the vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly are four species that between them create a kaleidoscope of colours and show why Brits love butterflies so much.

In second place, the Orange-tip is a worthy runner up, with its glowing white wings and vivid tangerine tips in the males, this uplifting species is a sure sign of spring and that warmer summer days aren’t far away. 

Taking third is the Red Admiral whose striking jet-black wings, bold red bands and white spotted tips make it one of the most iconic species in the UK. A long-distance migrant, it travels all the way from North Africa to flutter around UK gardens each year, although it is now commonly sticking around through the winter, a sign of our warming climate.

In fourth, the fairy-like Holly Blue, which counts British icons Dame Joanna Lumley and Geri-Halliwell Horner amongst its fans. Its powder-blue wings are a shimmering delight when spotted in gardens, this species has been steadily spreading northwards in recent decades, bringing its appealing beauty to gardens and hedgerows across more of the country than ever before.

And rounding out the top five, the Brimstone, whose sunshine-yellow wings may have given all butterflies their name – the original butter-coloured fly, whose appearance is often heralded as the first sign of spring.

The Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue and Brimstone, along with 16 other butterflies and day-flying moths, can be recorded as part of this summer’s Big Butterfly Count in July and August. 

Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count is the world’s largest butterfly survey, and this year it carries greater urgency than ever. Conservationists are hoping that a surge in public participation in 2026 will both improve the data picture and help galvanise support for butterfly-friendly habitats across the UK.

Kate Merry said: “Taking part in the Big Butterfly Count couldn’t be easier, simply spend 15 minutes in any outdoor space and count the butterflies and day-flying moths you see and submit your sightings to help build our interactive map. 

“This information will help conservationists to see how some of our more-common species are faring, which in turn helps to build a wider picture of how all butterflies and moths are doing. It’s easy, fun for all the family, and a great excuse to get outside and experience the simple joy of spotting butterflies.”  

This year’s Big Butterfly Count takes place from Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August. Simply download the free app, spend 15 minutes in any sunny spot and record the number and types of butterflies spotted. 

To find out more visit www.bigbutterflycount.org  

First-ever vote launched to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly!

Nation invited to choose its inaugural butterfly champion

Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is today launching the first-ever vote to crown Britain’s Favourite Butterfly.

From Friday 15 May – Sunday 7 June, people across the country are being asked to choose the butterfly they love most, whether that be a familiar garden visitor like the Red Admiral, Orange-tip or Holly Blue, or an elusive rarity like the aristocratic Duke of Burgundy or the mighty Purple Emperor.

With a plethora of species to choose from, Butterfly Conservation has launched a dedicated website with fun facts about every single species, where people can cast their vote and even take a fun ‘what’s your butterfly personality?’ quiz to choose their champion.

The charity hopes to encourage children and adults to marvel at butterflies this summer, reconnect with nature and celebrate the diversity and importance of the UK’s most iconic insects.

Julie Williams, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation, said: “It’s clear Britain is a nation of butterfly lovers. From Sir David Attenborough and the Royal Family, to the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, these incredible insects hold a very special place in our hearts.

“Now, for the first-time ever, we want to find out which of our much-loved butterflies takes the nation’s top spot. From the colourful to the quirky, the common to the elusive, all butterflies are beautiful and we look forward to officially crowning Britain’s favourite.”

The UK is home to 60 species of butterfly, 58 resident including Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Green Hairstreak, and two regular visitors – Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow. 

For many of us, butterflies are one of our earliest memories of wildlife; in a recent survey they were voted most-loved creatures in childhood.

Julie says: “It’s no surprise butterflies are loved by people of all ages. Their journey from caterpillar to adult is both fascinating and joyful.

“It is in this almost magical story of transformation that butterflies have the power to connect people to the natural world, and inspire us to keep fighting for a wilder future.”

But these incredible insects, which evoke childlike joy, delight and visions of balmy summer days, are in trouble. 80% of species have declined in the last 50 years due to habitat loss, land use change, and climate breakdown.

However, all is not lost. Recent scientific evidence proves that, as well as benefiting our wellbeing, as little as 15 minutes watching butterflies can increase people’s feelings of being connected to nature, which has a direct correlation with how motivated they are to protect it. 

In short, time spent simply enjoying spotting butterflies could play a vital role in nature’s recovery.

Butterfly Conservation’s President, Sir David Attenborough, famously said: “No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” 

“A few precious moments spent watching a stunning Red Admiral or Peacock butterfly feeding amongst the flowers in my garden never fails to bring me great pleasure.” 

With different butterfly species appearing in different areas of the UK, the search for Britain’s Favourite Butterfly could prove fascinating and show some big regional variations in voting.

After analysing 50 years of data, researchers have discovered a clear northward spread for some species, including common garden favourites the Peacock, Comma and Holly Blue, the result of climate change creating warmer habitats for them to survive in. 

Julie explained: “It will be interesting to see if people in different parts of the UK have different favourites. Some of our native butterflies are garden visitors across much of the UK, some live only in certain areas, and some are more secretive, living in very remote, specialised habitats. But all are equally important as indicators of the health of our natural environment.

“The exciting thing about this vote is that anyone, anywhere can take part and root for their favourite. You don’t have to know anything about butterflies! So whether you choose based on a lovely colour, a fun name, what you spot in your garden, or your fondness for a specialist species, it’s what’s important to you that matters.”

The highly coveted title is up for grabs. The nation will decide…

The vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly takes place from Friday 15 May – Sunday 7 June, and the result will be announced later in June.

Vote for your favourite at https://britainsfavouritebutterfly.co.uk

UK set for a summer of butterflies!

The UK is set for a spectacular summer of butterflies – and everyone is invited to take part!

Leading wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation, is calling on the public to prepare for a bumper summer of butterflies. This year, alongside its hugely popular Big Butterfly Count, the charity is launching something brand new – a vote to discover Britain’s Favourite Butterfly!

Famous for its annual Big Butterfly Count, in which tens of thousands of people spend 15 minutes counting butterflies, Butterfly Conservation is adding an exciting new milestone to the 2026 summer season as it sets out to discover which of the UK’s butterfly species takes the top spot in the nation’s hearts. 

The call to action follows scientific evidence that proves counting butterflies boosts how connected people feel to nature and how motivated they are to protect it. Now the charity is encouraging people to vote for their favourite species, then head outside during Big Butterfly Count and see what they can spot this summer.

Kate Merry, Head of Engagement at Butterfly Conservation, said: “Over the last 16 years, more than 1.35 million Counts have been done by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK, spotting almost 13.8 million butterflies and helping us with our vital science and conservation activities. 

“This year, we can’t wait to celebrate a bumper summer of butterflies by holding the first-ever vote to discover Britain’s Favourite Butterfly, before welcoming back the 17th annual Big Butterfly Count.

“Will the nation’s favourite species go on to reign supreme in the Count? Save the dates in your diaries to take part and help us find out!” 

Britain’s Favourite Butterfly – Friday 15 May – Sunday 7 June

Britain’s Favourite Butterfly marks the first-time UK residents will be invited to champion their most-loved species. 

Will the colourful Peacock take the crown? Or how about the understated Small White? Maybe it will be annual visitor the Painted Lady, or hedgerow fan the Gatekeeper. 

The highly coveted title is up for grabs. The nation will decide…

Big Butterfly Count – Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August

The 17th annual Big Butterfly Count is back and better than ever. Following hot on the heels of the first-ever vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly, keen citizen scientists are encouraged to get out for the Count and see what they can spot. 

Will the nation’s favourite species reign supreme in this year’s Count? Or will it have to share the summer top spot with another? 

The vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly will take place from Friday 15 May – Sunday 7 June, followed by Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count from Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August.

Find out more at www.butterfly-conservation.org