The Cascades Butterfly Project: Monitoring subalpine butterflies as indicators of climate change

Volunteers with the Cascades Butterfly Project (CBP) have conducted weekly butterfly surveys along 10 subalpine survey routes since 2011. The goal of the project is to document patterns of butterfly abundance and plant flowering as indicators of climate change in subalpine meadows. Study sites extend from Skyline Divide in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie NF through North Cascades NP and Okanagan-Wenatchee NF to and to Mount Rainier NP. Volunteers survey routes using the Pollard-Walk method to estimate relative abundance of butterflies and record the flowering phase of select plant species. Prior to our study, butterfly surveys had been conducted in Mount Rainier NP, but there was very little documentation of butterflies in North Cascades NP or the two adjacent forests. We have documented 59 butterfly species butterflies and inter-annual differences in abundance, dates of abundance peaks, and between species.
Dr. Regina M. Rochefort*
North Cascades National Park Service Complex
Dr. John McLaughlin
Western Washington University
Presentation given at North Coast & Cascades Science Days, 2024
go.nps.gov/sciencedays
[NOCA] [MORA]