Research & Conservation
2018 BUTTERFLY COUNT AT THE ARBORETUM Text by Ron Rutowski | President of Central Arizona Butterfly Association
O
n Saturday September 8, the Central Arizona Butterfly Association (CAzBA) ran the 12th annual butterfly count using the Arboretum as a focus. This count is part of a database administered by the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) (https://www.naba.org/butter_counts.html). There are about 450 established count sites in North America and Mexico and each is a circle 15 miles in diameter where butterflies are counted at least one day a year. The count data include the number of each species seen and are entered into a website run by NABA. These data are used in scientific research that monitors butterfly populations and factors that influence butterfly abundance and diversity.
Photos by Marceline VandeWater
Below is a Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), a member of the Nymphalidae family, the largest family of butterflies with more than 6,000 species.
