Britain sees second-best butterfly season in 16 years; people counted almost 1.4 million common butterflies and moths; painted ladies jumped by 335%, but scientists are worried

• The record heat of 2026 made this summer exceptional for butterfly-watching.
• More than 100,000 volunteers fanned across Britain with notebooks this summer, tallying nearly 1.4 million common butterflies and day-flying moths.
• This was the second-best butterfly season of the past 16 years, according to the Big Butterfly Count.