Big Butterfly Count
19 July 2010
Britain’s best known naturalist Sir David Attenborough is urging residents of Carrickfergus Borough to get involved in Save our Butterflies Week and help build a picture of how butterflies are faring across Britain and Ireland. The charity Butterfly Conservation has teamed up with Marks & Spencer to launch the Big Butterfly Count - a new nationwide survey taking place between 24 July and 1 August.
Anyone can take part, anywhere, anytime before the end of July. You can take part at home, in your local park, at your local nature reserve or green space. All it takes is going outside for 15 minutes on a sunny day and recording how many butterflies you see. Even seeing no butterflies is really important as this helps us gather information on areas where we need to focus conservation efforts and increase awareness and understanding of these fragile creatures. Seven out of ten butterflies in this country have seen declines in the last decade with some even facing extinction.
Sir David Attenborough is the President of Butterfly Conservation. He said: "The big butterfly count should be great fun. Butterflies are extraordinary, heart lifting creatures, visions of beauty and visions of summer. Butterflies in profusion tell us all is well with nature. When they decline it’s a warning that other wildlife will be soon be heading the same way. So with the Big Butterfly Count we’ll be doing more than just counting butterflies, we’ll be taking the pulse of nature."
Catherine Bertrand, from Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland said: "The measures we take to protect butterflies in Carrickfergus result in a healthier environment, not just for wildlife but for everyone who lives here. I would encourage Carrickfergus residents to come along to the Butterfly Count events at Eden Allotment Gardens and Bashfordsland Wood."
Carrickfergus Borough we have a number of Big Butterfly Count events.
Big Moth Hunton Tuesday 27th July (7.30 to 9pm) at Eden Allotment Gardens, Beltoy Road, Eden. Join Catherine Bertrand from Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland and discover what moth species you can find at Eden Allotment Gardens, Beltoy Road, Eden. Fun FREE event for all. FREE Butterfly ID Chart for all participants. Under 18's must be accompanied by an adult. This event continues the following morning at 10am to ID what has been discovered.
Moth Identification Event on Wednesday 28th July (10am) at Eden Allotment Gardens, Beltoy Road, Eden. This follows on from the Big Moth Hunt on Tuesday 27th at Eden Allotment Gardens.
Big Butterfly Count on Wednesday 28th July (11.30am to 1pm) at Bashfordsland Wood (Meet at Oakfield Community Centre). Join Catherine Bertrand from Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland and discover what species you can find at Bashfordsland Wood. Fun FREE event for all. FREE Butterfly ID Chart for all participants. Under 18's must be accompanied by an adult.
For more details about the big butterfly count visit www.bigbutterfly-count.org.
Related Pages
For further information please contact:
Stephen Daye, Parks & Countryside Development Officer
Telephone: 93358039
E-Mail: parks@carrickfergus.org
