Maricopa County

Butterfly Monitoring | Systemwide

Butterfly Monitoring Program

Help Protect Native Butterflies

Your involvement can make a meaningful difference for butterfly and insect populations in Maricopa County.

In partnership with the Central Arizona Butterfly Association (CAZBA), Maricopa County Parks & Recreation conducts butterfly monitoring at several regional parks each spring and fall. Volunteers help collect important population data that is shared with regional experts to support informed conservation and management decisions.


Volunteer Opportunities

Butterfly monitoring events take place twice each year. We host a Butterfly Monitoring Workshop on the Tuesday of the same week as the monitoring events. This workshop prepares volunteers to participate in the upcoming field sessions.

Volunteers play an essential role as community scientists by helping us better understand and protect native butterfly species.


What You Will Learn

Participants receive training and educational resources, including:

  • How to identify common butterfly species
  • How to conduct standardized butterfly monitoring
  • Field observation techniques

Volunteers who attend the Saturday monitoring events receive hands-on identification practice and a professionally printed Butterfly Brochure.


Get Involved

Whether you are new to butterfly identification or have previous experience, this program offers an opportunity to learn, contribute to conservation efforts, and connect with others who care about protecting native species. For upcoming workshop dates and registration information, please visit the Events page or contact the park directly.


Program Resources: 

Sulphur and Skipper Butterflies two-sided handout which contains photos and descriptions of a number of species. The handout is broken down into Sulphurs and Whites, Blues and Hairstreaks, Blues, and Skippers. The handout also contains a diagram showing the anatomy of a butterfly. Brushfoot_Metalmark_and_Swallowtail_Buterflies

 


Butterfly Workshops Butterfly

Workshops are held virtually. The meeting link will be emailed to all registered participants prior to the event.

To register for the next workshop, please use the Signup.com registration link provided on the flyer.


Butterfly Monitoring Schedule

Butterfly workshops and monitoring events are typically held during the third full week of March and September.

  • Workshop: Tuesday Monitoring
  • Event: Saturday

To participate in an upcoming event, please register using the Signup.com link listed on the flyer.

Phone: 602-506-2930

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