ALMOST a million butterflies have been officially recorded in Dorset over the last five years, according to Butterfly Conservation.

In 2010, more than 141,000 sightings were sent to the wildlife charity’s Dorset branch, but last year that number jumped to more than 270,000.

Butterfly Conservation states that Dorset is one of the best places in the UK to see butterflies, including rare species like the Lulworth Skipper, Marsh Fritillary and Adonis Blue.

And with the butterfly season in full swing, the charity’s Dorset branch now needs help from families across Dorset to fill in the gaps or ‘white holes’ where no butterfly sightings have been reported in the last five years.

This includes Halstock in West Dorset, Alton Common in Alton Pancras, Margaret Marsh near Shaftesbury and Morden just west of Lytchett Matravers.

Dorset county butterfly recorder Bill Shreeves said: “These figures are great news and shows how healthy the butterfly population in Dorset is.

“We are very lucky to have such an abundance of butterflies here, especially as almost three quarters of UK butterfly species have decreased in population during the last decade.”

People can find out more about these butterflies by visiting butterfly-conservation.org or submit their sightings online by visiting the Dorset Branch website at dorsetbutterflies.com