💡CE: VMN Webinar: Butterfly population trends in America north of Mexico and their most likely drivers

Description: Mounting evidence shows that insects are declining world-wide, leading to the so-called “insect apocalypse”. Unfortunately, this is also true for butterflies in America and Canada. Leslie Ries will present the evidence showing patterns and trajectories of butterfly declines here in American north of Mexico. She will also summarize a recent study examining the most likely drivers. This story is complicated, but she’ll show that in the 10 years following the 2003 release of seed-coated neonicotinoids, that class of pesticides appears to have the biggest impact on butterfly population declines. She will also be emphasizing an often untold part of this story which is that the only reason scientists can do this research is the efforts of thousands of on-the-ground volunteers who participate in monitoring programs like the North American Butterfly Association’s count program and regional networks that do more intensive surveys, including new programs in the Carolinas and Blue Ridge Mountains. With the efforts of community scientists, we will be able to continue to amass the evidence we need on declines and causes that will hopefully allow us to turn the tide on this tragic loss of biodiversity.

Presenter: Leslie Ries is an associate professor at Georgetown University studying how global change impacts biodiversity with a focus on butterflies in America north of Mexico. In addition to carrying out lab, field, and “big data” research on butterflies, she is the co-director of the North American Butterfly Monitoring Network, which provides data management support for the vast majority of groups that run programs where volunteers collect structured survey data. She is also excited to be a new board member of the North American Butterfly Association. Leslie is a native of the DMV, growing up and now living in suburban Maryland.

Leslie Ries is a co-author of the recent study you may have seen in the newsshowing widespread butterfly declines in the United States using volunteer-collected data sets–including butterfly counts that many of our VMNs have contributed to!

Registration: Pre-registration required to participate in the live Zoom. As with all our VMN CE Webinars, the recording will be available to anyone on our websitewithin a few days of the event.

Log your hours under Better Impact Category 2: Continuing Education

See VMN CE Webinars and VMN High Five From Nature Series for additional CE opportunities.