The Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network helps protect the state's dwindling butterfly populations. Its success depends on trained citizen scientists and staff members to collect and submit data from direct observations at various sites across Florida, something a small number of scientists could never easily achieve. The techniques are easy to learn and the field work fun to do.

All participants receive classroom and field training and conduct at least six site-monitoring visits each year. The data collected will be used to assess the distribution and population trends of both common and imperiled species. This information will help researchers develop appropriate species conservation and management strategies. In doing so, the program directly addresses the core strategic goal of Florida's Wildlife Legacy Initiative: to "prevent wildlife from becoming endangered and to keep common species common."

As a citizen scientist, you will help researchers and land managers to:

• Facilitate strategic conservation planning
• Develop recovery or management actions
• Identify potential candidate species for listing
• Identify critical remaining populations
• Track temporal changes in abundance or distribution
• Record tropical vagrant or new colonist species
• Identify potential environmental threats (i.e. pesticide/herbicide applications, habitat loss, habitat degradation, etc.)
• Evaluate catastrophic habitat impacts due to weather-related events such as drought, fire or hurricanes

Every participant matters. The data you collect matters. By participating, you are helping conserve Florida's butterfly populations.