A father and son team braved blisters, unpredictable weather and hungry horseflies as they counted butterflies for this year’s Big Butterfly Count on Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.
Independent Downpatrick county councillor Cadogan Enright and his son Cad Og, aged eight, canoed around the lough - the largest inlet in Britain - with the goal of counting as many butterflies on as many islands as possible.
Councillor Enright explains: “Strangford Lough is one of the most important wildlife sites in Ireland and its islands are a fantastic place to look for butterflies.”
The duo were aiming to visit about six islands per day, camping on a different island each night over the course of seven days but the weather struck at the half way point. Despite having to cut the adventure short, they completed a total of 16 Big Butterfly Counts during the summer, recording 283 individual butterflies of 13 target species. Their most impressive being 44 butterflies of seven species on a tiny island near the southern shore of the Lough.
Cadogan and Cad Og were not the only participants who turned the Big Butterfly Count into a challenge this year. Sally-Ann Spence pitched teams of children against their parents on the Amateur Entomologist Society’s Bug Club Summer Camp. Sally-Ann explained why the count was so good for children to get involved in: “The spotting encourages team work and understanding of butterfly habitat requirements. Then you have identifying skills using reference books & charts. Next is note taking, once the ID is agreed. Finally is ICT skills uploading the results. The uploading is superbly simple for the kids to do themselves. This leaves them with a huge feeling of personal achievement. It great citizen science for conservation and great fun for them. Win win!”
As well as participants who turned this summer’s Count into a sport there were others who combined their count with a different sport. Butterfly Conservation’s Liam Creedon admits undertaking his Big Butterfly Count whilst fielding during a cricket match. And the RSPB’s Mark Eaton conducted his first Count from the stands at a Peterborough United football match. Another supporter, Peter Smith, took part in the Count while officiating at an athletics competition, only to discover that one of the athletes was also conducting his own Big Butterfly Count while resting between the long and triple jump!
Whether you turned your Big Butterfly Count into an event or slotted it in with your everyday routines, your records are just as valuable to us. Thank you to everyone who took part.
We look forward to hearing more tales of your butterfly spotting shenanigans.