The Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program (CarolinasBMP) tracks butterfly populations using modified Pollard Walk protocols, inventory trips, and opportunistic sightings across both North and South Carolina. This Citizen Science based program partners with various non-profit and government organizations, offers public outreach, encourages interaction between the general public and professional biologists, and provides data to researchers evaluating the health of habitats and insect populations in the Carolinas. While officially launched in 2023, some Pollard Walk surveys meeting protocol criteria and dating back to 2018 have been ingested.
Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program
Snapshot
Coordinator: Pippen, Jeffrey S.
Program Started: 2023
Institution Type: Other
Species Focus: All butterfly species
Contact: Jeff Pippen (jeffpippen9@gmail.com)

Protocol
Protocol Type: Open search, Count, Field trip, Opportunistic, Restricted search, Pollard, Transect
Data Type(s): Presence/absence, Abundance
Survey Focus: Adults
Incidental Data Collected: Weather, Behavior, Host / nectar plants, Habitat notes
Visit Frequency: Weekly
Taxonomic Standard: Modified Pelham 2013
Program Results
Research Spotlight:
2025 Results:
• 131 Pollard Routes monitored
• 122 routes surveyed at least twice
• 1,634 surveys conducted
• 203 survey participants
• 51,598 individual butterflies tallied
• 7 species newly recorded in 2025
• 110 total species found in 2025
• 125 cumulative species for CarBMP

