Urban Butterfly Initiative

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United States
Charleston, IL
Urban Butterfly Initiative

Nonprofit org that helps improve biodiversity, enhance lives, and promote science in urban areas

Donations Needed! 100% of all donations go to furthering the mission of our organization: beautifying urban areas and increasing environmental awareness by creating butterfly habitats and working to educate community members about nature and science. To donate via PayPal, Credit Card, Venmo, or Check, please go to: https://www.urbanbutterflies.org/donate

10/06/2026

Always great to see a mourning cloak! The individuals we see at this time of year are busy getting energy from tree sap and rotten fruit so they can make it through the winter and breed next spring.

🦋: Mourning cloak adults feed on sap, rotten fruit, rarely flowers

🐛: Mourning cloak caterpillars feed on trees such as willows and cottonwood

(4 Oct 2026, Coles Co., IL)

09/27/2026

Butterfly Big Day 2026 Report!

On 12 Sept 2026, people around the world submitted butterfly observations to iNaturalist for Butterfly Big Day. Butterfly Big Day is an annual international event held on the 2nd Saturday of September, designed for people of all ages all around the world to find as many wild butterflies as they can in one day, spread awareness of the importance of butterflies & other pollinators, and learn how we can help their populations.

🦋 Thanks to everyone who participated! 🦋

Observations are still being submitted, but here are the numbers as it stands now. We are already looking forward to next year’s event, which will be held on Saturday, 11 Sept 2027!
___________________
17,370 Observations
1377 Butterfly Species
6162 Observers
___________________
Top 3 Observers for # of Species:
(1) harlinhoward (77), (2) skiperpagany (68), (3) rajibrudratariang (52)

Top 3 Observers for # of Observations:
(1) kbulver (401), (2) rajibrudratariang (193), (3) alexkerley (116)

Top 3 Species (no. of observations):
(1) Monarch (1386), (2) Cabbage white (502), (3) Painted lady (461)
___________________

For full results and to see the submitted photos and all the species, visit the Butterfly Big Day project page on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

For more information about Butterfly Big Day, visit the event web page: https://www.urbanbutterflies.org/science/butterfly-big-day

09/12/2026

Thank you, iNaturalist.org ! 🦋

09/10/2026

Good luck this Saturday, 12 Sept 2026, on Butterfly Big Day!

Butterfly Big Day is an international event designed for people of all ages to find as many wild butterflies as they can, spread awareness of the importance of butterflies & other pollinators, and learn how we can help their populations.

Participating is easy!

• Just download the free iNaturalist app and sign up for a free account. You can also use a web browser and access the iNaturalist web site (inaturalist.org).

• Take photos of free-living butterflies (not captive or from butterfly houses)

• Submit your photos to iNaturalist. Photos of butterflies submitted anywhere in the world on 12th September will count for Butterfly Big Day! You do not have to ‘join’ a project or be able to identify the butterfly in order for your observations to be counted!

For more information, links to brief iNaturalist tutorial videos, and to find the Butterfly Big Day regional partner in your part of the world, visit www.urbanbutterflies.org/big-day

To see all the Butterfly Big Day submissions, visit the iNaturalist project page during or after the event: www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

🦋 HAVE FUN BUTTERFLYING! 🦋

09/07/2026

Have you seen the featured projects on the iNaturalist.org project page? Thank you iNaturalist for helping promote ! 🦋

Butterfly Big Day is an international event designed for people of all ages to find as many wild butterflies as they can, spread awareness of the importance of butterflies & other pollinators, and learn how we can help their populations.

Participating is easy!

• Just download the free iNaturalist app and sign up for a free account. You can also use a web browser and access the iNaturalist web site (inaturalist.org).

• Take photos of free-living butterflies (not captive or from butterfly houses)

• Submit your photos to iNaturalist. Photos of butterflies submitted anywhere in the world on 12th September will count for Butterfly Big Day! You do not have to be able to identify the butterfly in order for your observations to be useful.

For more information, links to brief iNaturalist tutorial videos, and to find the Butterfly Big Day regional partner in your part of the world, visit www.urbanbutterflies.org/big-day

To see all the Butterfly Big Day submissions, visit the iNaturalist project page during or after the event: www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

🦋 HAVE FUN BUTTERFLYING! 🦋

08/30/2026

Have you planned your Butterfly Big Day?

Here are some fun possibilities:

• Plan your route for which areas you are going to visit: natural areas, parks, botanical gardens, pollinator plots, etc.

• Team up with friends and have a fun competition – which group can see the most species?

• Make a list of butterflies you’re likely to see and try to “catch them all!” in photos submitted to iNaturalist!

• Post your iNaturalist results on social media and use the hashtag

Butterfly Big Day is an international event designed for people of all ages to find as many wild butterflies as they can, spread awareness of the importance of butterflies & other pollinators, and learn how we can help their populations.

Participating is easy!

• Just download the free iNaturalist app and sign up for a free account. You can also use a web browser and access the iNaturalist web site (inaturalist.org).

• Take photos of free-living butterflies (not captive or from butterfly houses)

• Submit your photos to iNaturalist. Photos of butterflies submitted anywhere in the world on 12th September will count for Butterfly Big Day! You do not have to be able to identify the butterfly in order for your observations to be useful.

For more information, links to brief iNaturalist tutorial videos, and to find the Butterfly Big Day regional partner in your part of the world, visit www.urbanbutterflies.org/big-day

To see all the Butterfly Big Day submissions, visit the iNaturalist project page during or after the event: www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

🦋 HAVE FUN BUTTERFLYING! 🦋

08/21/2026

Nine of the many beautiful common buckeyes found during Charleston Butterfly Blitz 2026. Common buckeyes were the 6th most commonly submitted species during the Blitz.

(25 July - 2 Aug 2026, Coles Co., IL)

08/16/2026

Save the Date: 12 Sept 2026!

Join us in celebrating the inaugural annual Butterfly Big Day by helping document butterflies around the world on 12 September 2026.

Butterfly Big Day is an international event designed for people of all ages to find as many wild butterflies as they can, spread awareness of the importance of butterflies & other pollinators, and learn how we can help their populations.

Participating is easy!

•Just download the free iNaturalist app and sign up for a free account. You can also use a web browser and access the iNaturalist web site (inaturalist.org).

•Take photos of free-living butterflies (not captive or from butterfly houses)

•Submit your photos to iNaturalist. Photos of butterflies submitted anywhere in the world on 12th September will count for Butterfly Big Day! You do not have to be able to identify the butterfly in order for your observations to be useful.

For more information, links to brief iNaturalist tutorial videos, and to find the Butterfly Big Day regional partner in your part of the world, visit www.urbanbutterflies.org/big-day

To see all the Butterfly Big Day submissions, visit the iNaturalist project page during or after the event: www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterfly-big-day-2026

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Charleston, IL

Website

http://www.urbanbutterflies.org/

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