Upcoming Workshops
These workshop will introduce you to some of North Carolina's butterflies, how to identify them, and how to become a citizen science butterfly monitor!
- MAY 3, 2023: CAROLINAS WILD BUTTERFLIES: IDENTIFICATION AND MONITORING - NC Museum of Life and Science, Durham, NC
Event is FREE and you do not have to be a Museum member to attend.
This workshop will introduce you to some North Carolina butterfly diversity, how to identify butterflies, and how to become a citizen science butterfly monitor.
Click here for details and registration.
- MAY 10, 2023: CAROLINAS WILD BUTTERFLIES: IDENTIFICATION AND MONITORING - NC Museum of Life and Science, Durham, NC
Event is FREE and you do not have to be a Museum member to attend.
This workshop will introduce you to some North Carolina butterfly diversity, how to identify butterflies, and how to become a citizen science butterfly monitor.
Click here for details and registration.
- MAY 17, 2023: CAROLINAS WILD BUTTERFLIES: IDENTIFICATION AND MONITORING - NC Museum of Natural Science, Raleigh, NC
Event is FREE and you do not have to be a Museum member to attend.
Event will take place at the Museum's Prairie Ridge Ecostation off Edward's Mill Rd.
Click here for details and registration.
- MAY 18, 2023: Field Training for how to conduct a Pollard Walk butterfly survey - 11am Hot Springs, NC
This field experience will walk you through how to set up a survey route and conduct a butterfly survey
Program is BYO lunch and will be followed by an afternoon butterfly walk
Send an email to Jeff at jeffpippen9@gmail.com for more information and to sign up!
- Aug 5 and 6, 2023: CAROLINAS WILD BUTTERFLIES: IDENTIFICATION AND MONITORING - Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Belmont, NC
Event is FREE and you do not have to be a Garden member to attend.
Stay tuned for details
This site is under construction. Check back regularly for updates!
Brief Description
The Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program (CarBMP) aims to track butterfly populations using scientifically sound, standardized survey methods as well as opportunistic sightings across both North and South Carolina.
This Citizen Science based program partners with non-profit and government organizations, offers public outreach, encourages interaction between the general public and professional biologists, and provides data to researchers evaluating the health of habitats and insect populations in the Carolinas.
Our Mission
The Mission of the Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program is to:
- Develop and train a team of professional and citizen scientists to conduct regular surveys on permanent routes across both North and South Carolina
- Develop a long-term picture of butterfly population trends while connecting people to the outdoors
- Partner with conservation and educational organizations to increase awareness and enable synergistic efforts for protecting insect populations and natural habitats
- Foster public interest in and awareness of pollinators and natural habitats and the importance of monitoring insect populations by providing education outreach tools such as workshops and identification guides
- Provide data to researchers evaluating the health of habitats and insect populations and to assist with creating potential solutions to reversing or slowing negative trends
A Little Background
The potential dire consequences of declining insect populations across the globe have become a focal issue in both scientific circles and the general public.
This recent increased attention has not only highlighted the consequences of losing the ecosystem services insects provide, such as pollination, but has also revealed a dearth of rigorous, long term population studies.
Despite rising concern among scientists, the scientific evidence for global and even regional declines is still weak; many of the key studies are based on results with very limited spatial and temporal replication, so it is difficult to support conclusions.
In order to better document how widespread these declines may be, we critically need more scientifically produced data on insect populations.
Establishing biodiversity monitoring programs like the CarBMP is a key to understanding the future of natural resources, and this is especially true in the Carolinas where rapid population growth and urban expansion are accelerating at a very high rate.
We welcome you to join the CarBMP, enjoy some time outside, and become a part of our growing citizen science program.
Learn More and Get Involved!
If you want to start a survey route, contact Jeff Pippen at jeffpippen9 AT gmail.com.
To learn more about how the project works, click here to see the Protocols page.
