(by Lindsay Herlihy)
On July 26, 32 volunteers divided into 5 teams and surveyed 14 sites across the Capitol Area as a part of a nationwide effort coordinated by the North American Butterfly Association to monitor butterfly populations. Data collected from these surveys over time provide valuable insight into butterfly population trends and how they are affected by habitat alterations and climate change.
Together, NH Audubon volunteers and staff counted a total of 482 individual butterflies of 35 species. Numbers of both individual butterflies and species are lower compared to the past two years that the Capitol Area Butterfly Survey has been conducted:
- 2023: 704 individuals of 40 species
- 2024: 981 individuals of 38 species
Although it is not fully determined, butterfly experts suspect that butterfly reproduction in 2025 was likely impacted by the cold, wet spring coupled with the hot, dry summer of 2024.
Highlights from the survey include sighting two Common Sootywing—a species which is uncommon in New Hampshire, where we sit at the northern edge of their range. Participants also enjoyed close-up views (and great photo opportunites!) of the tiny American Copper, Coral Hairstreak, and Least Skipper. The most frequently observed species was the Wild Indigo Duskywing, with 87 total individuals recorded. Among nine observed individuals of the tiger swallowtail species complex, one was identified in-hand as the newly described Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail. This complex includes three visually-similar species—Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, and Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail (first described as a separate species in 2025). New Hampshire falls within the range overlap for all three species, making species-level identification a challenge for butterfly enthusiasts!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our third Capitol Area Butterfly Survey! Special thanks to our team leaders: Levi Burford, Steve Mirick, Heidi Holman, Becky Suomala, and Mark Suomala.
(Cover photo by Becky Suomala.)