Biodiversity: participate in Operation Butterfly by counting the specimens in your garden

What could be more rural than the delicate flight of a butterfly? Unfortunately, faced with the erosion of biodiversity, its fragile wings are barely in order. As a result, the butterfly population is gradually declining, depriving us of these precious colorful collectors… To curb this phenomenon, “Operation Butterflies” was created. The target? Count all existing specimens in your garden or around your balcony. Here’s how to join the movement.

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Operation butterfly: what is it?

“Operation Butterfly” is theone of the first participatory science projects on the topic of biodiversity offered to the public in France. The program established in 2006 by the Society for the Protection of Nature Noé and the National Museum of Natural History aims to improve scientific knowledge about butterflies. Thanks to the data collected from French men and women, specialists learn more about insects and their habitat, but also about the impact of human activities (agriculture, urbanization, global warming, etc.) on these species.

You don’t have to be an expert to participate! You just need to have the eye and the will to dedicate yourself to this noble cause. For volunteers, it’s a good way to reconnect with nature and take a break from everyday life. Alone or with your family you can observe butterflies directly in your garden or from your balcony.

Since the operation’s inception in 2006, more than 1,500,000 butterflies have been counted in nearly 12,000 participating gardens.

Operation #butterflies 🦋 is an observatory supported by Noé and the National Museum of Natural History. On…

Posted by Wild States on Saturday, July 23, 2022

How to participate?

  • The operation takes place from March to October.
  • It is up to you to count the butterflies in your garden or on your balcony using the identification sheet made by Noé and the National Museum of Natural History.
  • To identify the butterflies, look at the color, size and ocelli of the wings.
  • For each species, specify the number of individuals seen at the same time.
  • Enter the number of observation days per week.
  • For each week, enter the highest number of individuals observed simultaneously for each species.

Do you want to join the movement? All information and documentation to participate in Operation Butterfly can be found here.

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