Butterfly Monitor Workshops

Contact Us

Jennifer Meilinger
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Research Director

North American Butterfly Association July Butterfly Counts

Join us for the 2023 4th of July NABA butterfly counts! SW Michigan dates and locations are as follows:

Allegan – Saturday, July 8

Kalamazoo – Saturday, July 15

• 2022 marked the 13th year of the Kalamazoo Butterfly Count, where volunteers
  conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within a 15-mile wide circle as
  part of the North American Butterfly Association’s Butterfly Count.
  There was rain the night before the count so it was a slow start to the day
  as the vegetation dried. We finished with 35 species, which is an average
  number for our count. One species we rarely see on count day is the Snout
  Butterfly, at right. The Snout are migratory species that have explosions
  in their population in Southern Texas; during those years this butterfly can fly
  northward all the way to Michigan looking for food. The last time we had
  Snouts on our count was in 2017.There were 5 counted this year! See final count information here.

For more information about the Allegan count please contact Dennis Dunlap at .

For more information about the Kalamazoo area count please contact John Brenneman at .

These counts take place all over the state (AND country!). Check out the NABA site to find a count nearest you! 

Current Butterfly Monitors: Documents and Resources

Please remember to enter your data at PollardBase and document your hours spent monitoring here.

Important Monitoring Documents

• Monitoring Protocol
• Monitoring Data Sheet
• Site Information Form
• Michigan Species List
• Top 30 Common Butterflies
• Protocol Cheat Sheet
• Butterfly vs Moth
• Mapping Your Census Route

Contact the Michigan Butterfly Network