Twenty years (2000–2020) of butterfly monitoring data across the contiguous United States
We present the most comprehensive, integrated, butterfly monitoring dataset ever assembled for the United States. It contains over 1.2 million count records, from 65,000 surveys, representing over 12.6 million individual butterflies. To compile this dataset, we integrated data and harmonized taxonomy across 19 butterfly monitoring programs in the United States - one national, 13 statewide, and 5 local (e.g. individual county or National Park) in scale. In addition to the data, we also provide the taxonomic dictionary used to crosswalk butterfly taxonomy across programs, and the code used to assemble the integrated dataset. The publication of this dataset will inspire new analyses of butterfly population trends and drivers that help to identify solutions to the biodiversity crisis.
Authors
- James Michielini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3750-5427)
- Elise A. Larsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9238-6777)
- Doug Taron
- Arthur M. Shapiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1933-9077)
- Cheryl B. Schultz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3388-8950)
- Jeffrey S. Pippen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3099-4995)
- Jeffrey Glassberg
- Jennifer M. Zaspel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3960-0364)
- Shiran Hershcovich
- Vaughn Shirey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3589-9699)
- Regina M. Rochefort (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4369-0606)
- Wayne E. Thogmartin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2384-4279)
- Charles D. Schelz
- Anneliese Westphal
- Anna M. Walker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7420-4864)
- Kathryn Sullivan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3792-2538)
- Collin B. Edwards (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4937-5159)
- Jerome Wiedmann
- Nancy V. Hamlett
- Leslie Ries (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5953-9284)
- Erica Henry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6700-8128)
- Matthew L. Forister (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2765-4779)
- Ryan G. Drum
- Dave Waetjen
- Kevin J. Burls
- L. Richter
- Martha Gatch
- Catherine Le
- Irmgard U Wilcockson
- Jen Meilinger
- Nathan Brockman
- Steve McGaffin
Institutions
- The Nature Conservancy (US)
- United States Geological Survey (US)
- Ohio History Connection (US)
- Milwaukee Public Museum (US)
- Missouri Department of Conservation (US)
- University of Nevada, Reno (US)
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service (US)
- Butterfly Conservation (GB)
- Washington State University Vancouver (US)
- University of New Mexico (US)
- Iowa State University (US)
- Georgetown University (US)
- Kalamazoo Public Library (US)
- Cascades (Canada) (CA)
- American Psychoanalytic Association (US)
- Knoxville College (US)
- All Things Bugs (United States) (US)
- Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (US)
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (US)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- University of California, Davis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Data
- Published
- 2025-11-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05513-8
- Primary Topic
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Israel Institute for Biological Research
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Geological Survey