News

We once again had a wonderful time during our annual Big Butterfly Count walk this July, which was made even more special by the appearance of a couple of clouded yellow butterflies – a first for our campus records! 🎉
Nationwide the year was similarly exciting with over 100,000 people contributing to this fantastic citizen science project, collectively recording almost 1.4 million butterflies!

It will come as no surprise to those who kept an eye on butterflies this year that gatekeepers had their best year on record – we certainly saw lots during our annual walk. And the wonder-butterfly, the fascinating painted lady with its extraordinary migration was so happy in the UK this year that 2026 is entering history as a “Painted Lady summer”.

Unfortunately, small tortoiseshell continues to be in trouble nationwide, and we only had 1 record of it on campus this year.

Butterfly Conservation expressed their concern about the consequences of this year’s severe drought on future butterfly populations through its impact on caterpillars.

“The very same weather that made it a good year for butterflies - lots of sunshine and very little rain - could mean we’re actually on course for a population crash, which could take years to recover from.” (Professor Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation Head of Science)

In light of these worries, it is even more important than ever to give nature a helping hand.

Remember to participate in citizen science projects and log all your wildlife sightings with iNaturalist to enable the monitoring of species distribution and occurrence.

Consider making the outdoor spaces you have (let it be acres of garden or just a windowsill) more wildlife friendly – the opportunities are endless and there are a lot of good quality information available on the Internet such as from The Parks Trust and The Wildlife Trusts.

If you’d like to learn more about the complex reasons behind climate change and what you can do to lead a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, complete the University’s free Climate Literacy Training and find inspiration for positive actions with Warwick Green Rewards.