What the Big Butterfly Count tells us about our area: the results are in

The meadow brown was the most commonly reported butterfly in Long Ashton. Image: Butterfly Conservation

The 2024 Big Butterfly Count is a snapshot of our local habitat health

After a few slow evenings of number-crunching (and battling spreadsheets!), we’ve pulled together the results from last year’s Big Butterfly Count across Long Ashton and neighbouring areas. A huge thank you to everyone who took part and brought the total to 208 15-minute surveys.

However, the greatest thank you must be extended to LANCE Trustees Owen and Amanda, who were responsible for over 150 counts across Long Ashton, Barrow Gurney and South Bristol… that’s nearly 38 hours of patiently counting butterflies!

So, why do it? Butterflies are more than just pretty flashes of colour in the summer - they’re a key indicator species, offering insight into the health of our local habitats. Comparing our results to the national average helps us understand where our landscapes are thriving, and where they’re falling short.

What does the national picture look like for butterflies?

2024 saw the worst results nationally since the count began 14 years ago. The average was just 7 butterflies per 15-minute count, down from 12 in 2023. Butterfly Conservation has now declared a national emergency. You can read more about that here.

What’s the local story in Long Ashton?

Our own data mirrored some of the national concerns. In Long Ashton alone, 102 of 152 counts came in below the national average. Public spaces like Pear Tree Avenue and many private gardens returned zero butterflies. In fact, of the 48 garden counts taken, 37 were below average. However, these ‘zero’ counts are as important as any other results since it shows there's work that can be done… in an ideal world!

It’s not all bad news, though. The highest counts came from areas where we’ve let nature take the lead. Sites with long grass and mosaic habitats - think woodland edges, scrub, and uncut meadows - recorded significantly higher numbers.

Top performers included:

• Highridge Common – three outstanding counts of 124, 108, and 64 butterflies

• Lark Meadow – 51 butterflies, 5 species

• Ashton court - 50, but just large white and gatekeeper

• Peel Park – 36 butterflies in one count, with an impressive 7 different species

  
  

A ringlet butterfly, Long Ashton's 5th most spotted. Image: Butterfly Conservation

These results highlight the power of consistent habitat management. Peel Park, for instance, has been left unmown longer than Lark Meadow - and the diversity of species reflects that.

The butterflies we’re seeing the most of

Our top five species locally were:

1. Meadow Brown – 892 sightings

2. Gatekeeper – 731

3. Large White – 202

4. Speckled Wood – 87

5. Ringlet – 81

The presence of Speckled Wood and Ringlet suggests our wooded habitats are playing an important role. Nationally, the top five were slightly different, with Peacock and Small White appearing more frequently.

Unsurprisingly, intensively farmed fields and silage-cut pastures came up short with multiple zero counts, reflecting the biodiversity cost of modern dairy practices. It’s a stark reminder that a green field doesn’t always mean a healthy one.

What’s next?

There’s still plenty of data to go through - and we hope to compare these results with 2022 and 2023 to build up a local picture over time. It’s not perfect (we’re citizen scientists, not statisticians!), but even a snapshot is better than flying blind.

Most importantly, this gives us a baseline for 2025 and a platform to advocate for better land management. The evidence is clear: habitat quality matters. Consistent areas of long grass and structural variety - scrub, trees, hedges - support far more butterflies than cropped lawns or heavily managed fields.

How you can get involved and make a difference

We’d love to see more gardens take part next year - there could be hidden gems out there waiting to be discovered. The next Big Butterfly Count runs from Friday 18th July to Sunday 10th August 2025. Mark it in your diary!

And, if you’re managing land - whether a verge, a park, or paddock - consider letting some of it grow long. The butterflies will thank you for it. So will everything else that depends on them.