Charleston Butterfly Blitz 2023
July 22 - 30
It's fun!
It's free!
It's outside!
The Charleston Butterfly Blitz 2023 is a community effort to record as many butterflies as possible in the Charleston, IL area from Saturday, July 22nd to Sunday, July 30th, 2023.
All photos of butterflies submitted to iNaturalist that were observed in Coles County during that time period will count toward the Blitz.
To sign up for iNaturalist, click on the button or download the iNaturalist app. Using the app is free & easy - check out our short tutorial video (below) and look at the video tutorials available on the iNaturalist website!
Step 1: Get iNaturalist app and watch our 4 min video on how to use it!
Step 2: Find and take pictures of butterflies in Coles County!
Good places to look are the UBI butterfly hotspots, unmown roadsides with flowers, Douglas Hart Nature Center, The Whiteside Garden, Warbler Bottoms (part of Warbler Ridge), and Fox Ridge State Park.
Step 3: Submit your butterfly photos to iNaturalist!
It's easy!
Submitting even one butterfly from Coles County found during Blitz week helps!
Click here for a map showing the location of these and other UBI Hotspots.
The map of all the sites is at the bottom of our iNaturalist page.
By participating in the Blitz, you are helping identify and track the variety of butterflies in our area as well as contributing valuable, publicly accessible, scientific data on our butterfly populations!
Prizes!
Prizes include:
-
$100 off any bike purchase
-
$75 off labor
-
free water bottle or t-shirt
Top contributors (follow your progress here) should contact UBI via Facebook Message or email at UButterflyInitiative@gmail.com after August 1st to arrange to pick up their prize.
There will also be prizes for
most observations and most different species
submitted to iNaturalist
Everyone who submits at least one butterfly observation from Coles County to iNaturalist during the Blitz will receive a
10% discount on any in-stock accessory
(must be redeemed by 8-31-23)
Results of Previous Blitzes
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The Charleston Butterfly Blitz is co-sponsored by the Urban Butterfly Initiative, BIKE & HIKE-Charleston, Grand Prairie Friends, Douglas-Hart Nature Center, Coles County SWCD, the Grand Prairie Butterfly Club (join the group on Facebook!), the City of Charleston, Eastern Illinois University, and Fox Ridge State Park.