NH Butterfly Monitoring Network Offers Online Volunteer Trainings

CONTACT:
Heidi Holman, NH Fish and Game: 603-271-2461
Haley Andreozzi, UNH Cooperative Extension: 603-862-5327
January 23, 2026

Concord, NH — Butterflies serve as important biodiversity indicators for ecosystem health and provide food for many species, such as migrating birds. There are more than 100 types of butterflies in New Hampshire, but data on their presence and distribution is limited. With butterflies using forests, fields, wetlands, and backyards all over the state, volunteer observations are critical to providing a landscape view of these species.

A three-part online training series hosted by the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network will provide information on butterflies in New Hampshire, butterfly identification, photographing butterflies, and how to submit your observations. The NH Butterfly Monitoring Network is a collaborative effort with a goal of engaging volunteers in counting and identifying butterflies across New Hampshire. Data collected by volunteers can contribute to the understanding of long-term trends in butterfly populations and inform conservation actions for both common and declining species.

Webinars in the series will include:

February 18, 6:30–7:30 p.m.—NH Butterflies: What Have We Learned Since 2022?
Heidi Holman, NH Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist

March 4, 6:30–7:30 p.m.—Getting Started with iNaturalist: Sharing Butterfly Sightings in New Hampshire
Haley Andreozzi, UNH Cooperative Extension Wildlife Conservation State Specialist

March 18, 6:30–7:30 p.m.—An Introduction to Identifying and Photographing NH Butterflies
Mark Ellingwood, Retired Wildlife Biologist and Volunteer with the Harris Center for Conservation Education

All butterfly enthusiasts are welcome, with or without prior experience. For more information and to register for the session(s) you are interested in, visit nhbutterflies.org.

The NH Butterfly Monitoring Network is led by the NH Fish and Game Department and UNH Cooperative Extension with collaboration from partners statewide, including NH Audubon, Tin Mountain Conservation Center, the Harris Center for Conservation Education, and Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust.