MISSISSAUGA – Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) and The Riverwood Conservancy are hosting the third annual Butterfly Blitz in the Credit River Watershed this summer.
The organizations are seeking participants to share their butterfly sightings and contribute to a watershed-wide inventory of butterflies.
CVC and The Riverwood Conservancy are hosting online training sessions May 8, 9 and 13, 2021.
Participants will learn how to take part in the program, how to find and identify butterfly species and how to share their butterfly sightings.
“The Butterfly Blitz program is a great way for families and individuals to safely connect with nature and get involved in citizen science during the pandemic,” said Laura Timms, senior specialist, natural heritage management at CVC.
“Observations can be made in your own backyard or a local park. The information you collect will help us monitor the health of the Credit River Watershed. Everyone can participate, no matter their experience level.”
The program runs from May 8 to September 18. All butterfly observations are submitted through iNaturalist, a social network for naturalists, citizen scientists and biologists.
Data collected from across the watershed will be used to track the number of species and their locations, identify rare species and understand population trends over time.
In 2020, 175 citizen scientists made over 1,830 observations of 65 different butterfly species.
Since 2019, Butterfly Blitz has received more than 2,500 submissions. This data has significantly increased CVC’s knowledge of butterflies in the Credit River Watershed.
Butterflies are indicator species that give us insight into the health of the environment.
Registration is required for the May training events, however it’s not necessary to attend the training sessions to participate.
Anyone can join the program on iNaturalist and submit butterfly observations. Register for events and learn more at cvc.ca/butterflyblitz.
