Welcome to eButterfly 3.0!

We are pleased to announce the release of eButterfly 3.0, an updated version of the powerful Internet-based program currently used by thousands of butterfly enthusiasts. eButterfly is a free, user-friendly way for butterfly watchers across North America to record, archive and share their observations anytime, anywhere. It is also an important tool for conservation, providing researchers with a comprehensive picture of the abundance and distribution of butterflies. The data come to life via eButterfly’s colorful, new interactive maps, tables and charts.

In addition to a completely new look and feel, eButterfly 3.0 has a streamlined data entry process and a suite of new output tools geared toward the interests of today’s butterfly watchers. On the “My eButterfly” section, users can now view their life lists by country, state or province, which are generated automatically as individual reports are entered. And, you can even see how you rank against all the other butterfly watchers in your area by visiting the Top 100 list. Do you like to track what you find in your butterfly garden? You can even track your all-time or annual yard lists automatically.

Perhaps you watch and count butterflies with a group of friends. Checklists can now be shared with other users in the group so that only one person in the party needs to enter the data. After it is shared you can even customize the checklist to what you actually observed, keeping your life lists in sync. Are you curious about a sighting or think an observation photograph is particularly fascinating? eButterfly also allows you to publically comment on a checklist or observation, or send a private message to another user.

Would you like to keep an observation private? When entering observations you can easily indicate that it is not available for public viewing by setting the data usage as “sensitive” or “confidential”. These data will never be shown on maps or charts available to the public.

There are two primary ways to explore the eButterfly database – by location and by species. For example, trip-planners can view a list of all the species recorded near their destination. Those interested in learning more about a particular species can view maps and charts showing seasonal distribution and frequency of reports. eButterfly allows participants to do more than just record sightings; it helps them understand how their observations fit into the big picture.

Begun in 2010, eButterfly is growing and changing as it builds a strong base of dedicated observers. eButterfly already supplies data to researchers and educators across the country, and new ways to extract and interpret information will increase its value as a tool for conservation. In the coming years, eButterfly may even have a role to play farther afield in gathering information in the Caribbean, Central and South America and beyond.

Would you like to get started? Learn more about eButterfly on our extensive eButterfly Help pages. Thank you for joining us!