It was great having people participate in the 2025 Big Butterfly Count. We look forward to even more participation in 2026 - and if you have suggestions how we can make improvements, or would like to help us organise it, please email the MBNZT: email
Tracking NZ’s Butterflies: How You Can Help
How can we know how well our butterflies are faring if we don’t even know where they are - or where they aren’t? Here in NZ many people don’t know which butterfly species we have, let alone how they’re doing.
We discovered this back in 2015 during our first national survey of butterfly species. It became clear that we needed to focus on more education before launching another project like this. Thankfully, with the help of technology and support from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, tracking butterflies is now much easier.
Get Started with the Butterfly Count App
You can help us track butterflies using a simple, free app. Here’s how to get started:
Visit the Google Play (android) or Apple app store - links below.
Look for the purple icon shown here and download the app.
How It Works
The app allows you to count butterflies while walking or sitting in one spot. Choose a location where you can repeat your counts year after year for consistent data. The best time to spot butterflies is early afternoon on sunny, warm days with little wind and no rain.
Watch this video to see how to use the app.
Note: For consistency we want you to record the largest number of each species that you see within the 15 minutes. So if you see one copper butterfly, you will add that species to your count. If you see THREE of that species at any one point, you will use the + to add two more to your count, so the count is three. If you see one yellow admiral and it flies away, but later you see another, single yellow admiral during the 15 minutes, your count will be just ONE yellow admiral.
Also, you may not know the difference between a glade copper and a common copper. You can choose the species "unidentified copper" or "unknown copper". In further analysis it should be possible to clarify the identity through previous sightings in that location.
For Schools
Here is a printed form for students to complete with one person later uploading the summarised data using the app.
Your contributions will help us build a clearer picture of where our butterflies are thriving, where they are missing altogether or where they need more support. Together, we can protect and conserve NZ’s unique butterfly species!
