The Big Butterfly Month is a celebration of butterflies aimed at conducting a nationwide citizen science survey to help us assess the health of our environment. A first of its kind event to be launched on 5th September 2020 to and will run through the whole month. More than 25 organisations from across the nation covering 22 states and 2 Union Territories.
The count will run from 14th to 20th September, with various competitions, talks, quizzes and webinars organised as part of outreach to students and the public at large running for the whole month.
Counting Butterflies
Counting butterflies is extremely important not just because we love them and they are beautiful creatures but due to the intricate role they play in the ecosystem as components of the food chain as well as being pollinators.
Butterflies are under severe threat, like all wildlife around us there numbers have also sharply declined and these signs can no longer be ignored.
Butterflies are also key biodiversity indicators for scientists as they are very sensitive to changes in the environment. This is where the project comes in, tracking these numbers is crucial in our fight to conserve our natural world and life on it.
This makes taking part in this massive scientist science initiative of great importance and we must thank you for taking the time to help!
We depend on our citizen scientists who are willing to record the butterflies they see around them and upload them on Butterflies of India, Indian Biodiversity Portal and iNaturalist. The data from this and other counts will also help us to identify important trends in species that will assist us in planning how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understanding the effect of climate change on wildlife.
How to contribute
Simply count butterflies in your area during bright days during the Big Butterfly Count Week. Records are welcome from anywhere: from parks, school grounds and gardens, to fields and forests. Please follow the government guidelines on large gatherings and travel restrictions imposed in your region due to COVID 19 pandemic.
Download one of the three Apps iNaturalist, ifoundbutterflies and India Biodiversity Portal and create an account and simply start clicking and uploading. You could even use web versions of the same to upload the records once you are back home.
Please do check out our Youtube channel to find out more about how to upload records on each of the Apps which cover various topics from introduction, advanced search use, utilities and tips and tricks to ease your work flow. Or simply click on one of the links below:
Video link on How to upload on Butterflies of India
Video link on how to upload on India Biodiversity Portal
Video link on how to upload on iNaturalist
You can do as many counts as you want to: You can submit separate records for different dates at the same place, and for different places that you visit. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any counts sent in on paper, text or phone but you will be able to submit records throughout the year and forever by the way of the App!
Who are we?
We are the Big Butterfly Monitoring Network a consortium of conservation organizations working together to raise awareness on the sharp decline in butterfly populations and create widespread acceptance of the actions needed to reverse this trend.
Partners: Our partners across India include:
1) Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) - India
2) National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
3) Indian Foundation for Butterflies (IFB)
4) Diversity India
5) Biodiversity India
6) The Delight Factory
7) NINOX-OWL ABOUT NATURE
8) The Valley Biodiversity Conservation & Livelihood Network, Nagaland
9) Doon Nature Walks
10) Titli Trust, Dehradun
11) Devalsari Paryavaran Sangrakshan evam Takniki Vikas Samiti, Devalsari
12) Pawalgarh Prakriti Prahari, Pawalgarh
13) Green Plateau, West Bengal
14) Sammilan Shetty’s Butterfly Conservation and Research Trust, Belvai
15) Rhopalocera and Odonata Association of Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu
16) Butterfly Conservation Society, Hyderabad
17) Nature Club, Surat
18) Act for Butterflies, Tamil Nadu
19) Nature Mates, West Bengal
20) Bangalore Butterfly Club, Bengaluru
21) NgunuZiro, Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh
22) SEED, Arunachal Pradesh
23) VJSS, Jalgaon
24) Wiki loves Butterfly, Project
25) Pondicherry Nature & Wildlife Forum, Pondicherry
How could you contribute to conservation of butterflies?
1. Join Us: Butterflies among the most threatened groups of wildlife in our country. Without your support we cannot continue our vital work to protect them. Please fill this google form you want to get updates on our work and events in the future.
2. Promote us: Use the power of networks and social media to spread the word and grow the tribe. Share information on the vent as widely as possible. Check out the program calendar for more details.
3. Volunteer with us: Help make our conservation work happen by supporting our appeals. Lend us your time to help us plan better events and reach a wider audience.
4. Record: Monitoring programmes help us direct our conservation effort where it is needed but we need your help to spot butterflies and be our eyes on the ground.
5. Gardening for Pollinators: Want to do something in your own garden or balcony? Gardening is a great way to help butterflies and we have lots of resources that could help. You could also email us if you require some specific help in building your own butterfly habitat.