14/10/2026
The results are in! What did we find out from surveying butterflies at Wallington in 2026? 🦋
13 volunteers and 10 staff members surveyed 24 different sites across the Wallington estate.
They found 24 different species, which was 2802 individual butterflies.
Most frequent sightings were ringlets (549) and meadow browns (440).
It was also a great year for painted ladies (200) and small tortoiseshells (117).
It wasn't a great year for green-veined whites (257), which was down 44% on last year. This species is known to be sensitive to drought, which may explain the dramatic drop.
One of the most exciting sightings this year was the endangered large heath butterfly, a bog specialist which hasn't been seen at Wallington since 2023.
Overall it was a great year for butterflies. With more extensive surveying and hot dry weather, the team recorded the most butterflies to date.
However, the full impact of this summer’s drought on butterfly populations won’t be known until next year. Caterpillars may have struggled to get enough food before their food plants withered and died early.
A massive thank you to all the staff and volunteers who took part, as well as staff from Butterfly Conservation.
