This iPhone picture was sufficient for iNaturalist to identify a Black Swallowtail butterfly on Snow Hill in Eastman. June 19–25 is National Pollinator Week, an annual event initiated and managed by Pollinator Partnership. In the decade since the US Senate authorized National Pollinator Week, it has become an international event, and this year the theme is Pollinators and Climate Change. In support, the Sullivan County Conservation District is asking all of us to photograph every bug we see and submit ”bioblitz” data to iNaturalist during National Pollinator Week because floral resources for pollinators are changing due to climate change.
This is the second year that New Hampshire Conservation Districts, including the Sullivan County Conservation District, have provided ”bioblitz” data. Check out the most comprehensive iNaturalist information for New Hampshire counties. Prizes will be awarded for the most sightings, so this is a great activity for kids to participate in this summer!
Additionally, a new New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHF&G) state initiative into climate change, biodiversity, and habitat protection is monitoring butterflies. NHF&G is asking everyone to photograph every butterfly we see this year and submit our pictures to iNaturalist. There are 130 species of butterflies in our state, and they are excellent markers of our changing environment.
The NHF&G has formal training and specific “Butterfly Counts” being held throughout the summer, but you need no special training to provide them with valuable information. All you need is a camera and iNaturalist!
Did you know that iNaturalist began as a graduate thesis in 2008 and was incorporated by the National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences in 2017? These days if you use a different nature-identifying application, it probably feeds into the iNaturalist global database. To be sure your data is used to help NH, download the iNaturalist App onto your phone. If you prefer to use your own camera to take pictures, you can upload them to iNaturalist from your computer once you are home.
This is the second year that New Hampshire Conservation Districts, including the Sullivan County Conservation District, have provided ”bioblitz” data. Check out the most comprehensive iNaturalist information for New Hampshire counties. Prizes will be awarded for the most sightings, so this is a great activity for kids to participate in this summer!
Additionally, a new New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHF&G) state initiative into climate change, biodiversity, and habitat protection is monitoring butterflies. NHF&G is asking everyone to photograph every butterfly we see this year and submit our pictures to iNaturalist. There are 130 species of butterflies in our state, and they are excellent markers of our changing environment.
The NHF&G has formal training and specific “Butterfly Counts” being held throughout the summer, but you need no special training to provide them with valuable information. All you need is a camera and iNaturalist!
Did you know that iNaturalist began as a graduate thesis in 2008 and was incorporated by the National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences in 2017? These days if you use a different nature-identifying application, it probably feeds into the iNaturalist global database. To be sure your data is used to help NH, download the iNaturalist App onto your phone. If you prefer to use your own camera to take pictures, you can upload them to iNaturalist from your computer once you are home.
| Not yet using iNaturalist? Check out Terri Munson’s blog about her early days using the App, and then, like Terri, have fun by doing something good to help our environment this summer!  Here are two tiny grass skippers nectaring on Fleabane in the orchard at Brookside Park. On the right is the iNaturalist website feedback when they received this picture. |  |