The world's biggest annual butterfly count has begun - as conservationists warn time could be running out to save some species.

More British butterflies are now facing extinction than ever before - placing a greater importance on this year's nationwide citizen survey designed to track their numbers.

The event runs from today until August 7 and is being organised by charity Butterfly Conservation.

It requires people to spend just 15 minutes - ideally in sunny weather - looking for butterflies in their garden or nearest open space to help conservationists understand how the creatures are behaving.

Over 107,000 budding scientists took part in 2021, submitting 152,039 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.

But with numbers in a very steep decline, those behind the vast survey says it is more crucial than ever before that experts have a comprehensive understanding of the health of populations.

Butterfly declines are also an early warning for other wildlife losses as the insects react very quickly to changes in their environment so tracking numbers, say experts, is crucial as part of work to protect the natural world as a whole.

How to complete the count

Visit the Big Butterfly Count website here and register.

You can also download a free app in order to complete your count, which will take just 15 minutes. Alternatively there is a butterfly ID chart to record sightings, that you can then use to enter information into the website.

Choose a place to spot butterflies and moths and then spend 15 minutes identifying and recording the species you see before submitting your results.

Butterfly populations understandably differ between the countryside and towns and cities, which is why it is crucial that households from across the country take part to allow those sifting through the data to get a good selection of results.

In May this year Butterfly Conservation confirmed that 24 species are now listed as threatened - including eight classified as endangered - with the risk of extinction increasing for more species than decreasing.

Using data gathered by volunteers scientists put together a new Red List, which assesses all the butterfly species that have bred regularly in Great Britain against the rigorous criteria of extinction risk set out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Of the 62 species assessed, four are also now classified as being extinct in Britain, which are the Black-veined White, Large Tortoiseshell, Large Copper, and Mazarine Blue.