WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre and Attenborough get all aflutter

WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre and Sir David Attenborough are inviting you to get outside this summer to count butterflies.

The Big Butterfly Count runs till Sunday 9 August. You can pick up a spotter sheet at Martin Mere Wetland Centre so that you can tick off what you see, as it’s a great place to spot butterflies.

Kids can also pick up a Nature Explorers passport and earn a stamp for each activity they do, like taking a watery safari, building mini-rafts, pond dipping, hand feeding rare birds, going on big bug hunts to discover all sorts of creepy crawlies and lots, lots more.

You can also download a butterfly spotter sheet  to spot butterflies where you live. You’re especially invited to look out for Painted Lady butterflies, which appear to be seeing a huge influx from the continent this year.

WWT Vice President Sir David Attenborough launched the Big Butterfly Count at London Wetland Centre, on behalf of WWT’s nine wetland centres across the UK including [Insert]. He said the UK’s butterflies are on a par with great wildlife across the world:

“We tend to think in the British Isles we haven’t got dramatic animals – that’s because blokes like me on the television keep on putting elephants and giraffes on your screen – but there are wonderful things in this country and butterflies are not the least of them.”

“We want to know how many butterflies there are in this country, what kind they are and how they’re doing. Find a nice place and, when the sun shines, just for 15 minutes note down what butterflies you see.”

Centre Manager, Nick Brooks, said: “I’m delighted to be able to support this wonderful project. Martin Mere Wetland Centre is a great place to see loads of butterfly species whether you are on a canoe or walking along our nature trail.”

The Big Butterfly Count is run by Butterfly Conservation and supported by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, which are closely linked. WWT founder Sir Peter Scott was Butterfly Conservation’s first President, and WWT Vice President Sir David Attenborough is their current President. Both organisations were set up with the ethos that conservation science should involve people getting outside and having fun.

WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am to 6pm in the summer (4.30pm during winter months) and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6.  The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations.  Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere and the other eight WWT Wetland Centres.