Hello friends, good night. Natuurpunt is a Belgian voluntary organization with more than 120,000 members dedicated to nature maintenance in Flanders. They flood swamps, create natural paths, and help declining species regain a more stable population. This last activity is also the subject of the Great Butterfly Census, as the populations of many species of butterflies are significantly lower than they were decades ago. At the same time, recently, populations of some species have steadily recovered, while others have become more rare.

The spring of 2021 got off to a weak start in the year of butterflies, as there were few sunny days and a lot of rain. However, this created good conditions for caterpillars and caused a butterfly explosion in mid-July. This year was a very good year compared to the droughts of 2018 and 2019. As a result, the populations of many species have decreased. Currently, the peacock butterfly population is recovering above average. But that's not the reason to scream hurray. For many species, the number of butterflies is significantly lower than they were decades ago. Especially pasture butterflies are systematically declining. There are also significant differences in recovery from one species to the next. For example, the calico cat, Belgium's most common garden butterfly, struggles to regain its former importance. The top 10 species of Belgian butterflies are:

Red admiral 14,595 sightings; Cabbage white butterfly 13,370 sightings; Peacock butterfly 11,575 sightings; Meadow brown 6,113 sightings; Large White Butterfly 5,684 sightings; Polygonia Calvum aka Comma 5,516 sightings; Witnessing 4,639 brimstones; Meadow Orange 2,625 sightings; Painted Lady 1,981 sightings; Little Fox 1,947 sightings