After our morning service on 19 July, a group of eight of us headed into the church gardens to take part in this year's Big Butterfly Count.

We were delighted to spot 6 Gatekeepers and 4 Speckled Woods during our 15 minute long count, along with lots of tiny mint moths flitting around the herb garden. The herb garden in the hall garden is clearly doing an amazing job of attracting butterflies and other insects, showing just how valuable even a small wildlife-friendly space can be.

The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science project that helps scientists monitor the health of butterfly populations and better understand how changes to our environment are affecting wildlife. Every count contributes valuable information to conservation efforts.

Our Eco Group have plans to plant more wildflowers around the church grounds to create even better habitats for butterflies and other important pollinators, including bees. 

Thank you to everyone who took part. We look forward to seeing even more butterflies in our gardens next year!