Ohio Lepidopterists Monitoring Network

The Ohio Lepidopterist Society has been monitoring sites throughout Ohio since 1995.

Monitoring Activity Tracker

Snapshot

Coordinator: Wiedmann, Jerome
Program Started: 1995
Institution Type: Naturalist Organization
Data Availability: Contact Jerry Wiedmann
Species Focus: All butterfly species
Program website(link is external)
Contact URL: https://www.ohiolepidopterists.org/contact/(link is external)

Protocol

Protocol Type: Restricted search, Pollard, Transect
Data Type(s): Abundance
Survey Focus: Adults
Incidental Data Collected: Weather, Host / nectar plants, Habitat notes
Visit Frequency: Weekly
Effort Tracking: The amount of time spent on each route is recorded.
Protocol Notes: Routes are established and subdivided into up to 15 sections. Sections may be separated by habitat, but similar habitats are not lumped into the same section (like Illinois). Routes are walked by volunteers who record all butterflies seen in front and to the side, up to ~5m from the observer. All adults are recorded.

Program Results

Publications:

Collin B. Edwards, Elise F. Zipkin, Erica H. Henry, Nick M. Haddad, Matthew L. Forister, Kevin J. Burls, Steven P. Campbell, Elizabeth E. Crone, Jay Diffendorfer, Margaret R. Douglas, Ryan G. Drum, Candace E. Fallon, Jeffrey Glassberg, Eliza M. Grames, Rich Hatfield, Shiran Hershcovich, Scott Hoffman Black, Elise A. Larsen, Wendy Leuenberger, Mary J. Linders, Travis Longcore, Daniel A. Marschalek, James Michielini, Naresh Neupane, Leslie Ries, Arthur M. Shapiro, Ann B. Swengel, Scott R. Swengel, Douglas J. Taron, Braeden Van Deynze, Jerome Wiedmann, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Cheryl B. Schultz.  2025.  Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century. Science 387, 1090–1094(link is external)

Collin B. Edwards, Cheryl B. Schultz, Steven P. Campbell, Candace Fallon, Erica H. Henry, Kelsey C. King, Mary Linders, Travis Longcore, Daniel A. Marschalek, David Sinclair, Ann Swengel, Scott Swengel, Doug J. Taron, Tyson Wepprich, Elizabeth E. Crone.  2024. Phenological constancy and management interventions predict population trends in at-risk butterflies in the United States. Journal of Applied Ecology 61:2455–2469(link is external)

Wepprich T, Adrion JR, Ries L, Wiedmann J, and NM Haddad. 2019. Butterfly abundance declines over 20 years of systematic monitoring in Ohio, USA. PLOS ONE July 9, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216270(link is external)

Wepprich T. 2019. Statewide butterfly monitoring by volunteer recorders in Ohio reveals a persistent decline in abundance, so what can we do? News of the Lepidopterists' Society 61(3):128-130.

Saunders, S.P., Ries, L., Oberhauser, K.S., and E.F. Zipkin. 2016. Evaluating confidence in population-level prediction from climate impacts: summer abundances of the monarch butterfly. Global Ecology and Biogeography 25(8):1000-1012(link is external)

Thorson, J.T., Ianelli, J.N., Larsen, E.A., Ries, L., Scheuerell, M.D., Szuwalski, C., and E.F. Zipkin. 2016. Joint dynamic species distribution models: a tool for community ordination and spatio-temporal monitoring.  Global Change Biology 25(9):1144-1158(link is external)

Cayton, H, N. Haddad, K. Gross, S. E. Diamond and L. Ries. 2015.  Do growing degree days predict phenology across butterfly species?  Ecology 96: 1473–1479(link is external)

Diamond, S.E., H. Cayton, T. Wepprich, C.N. Jenkins, R.R. Dunn, N.M. Haddad, and L. Ries. 2014. Unexpected phenological responses of butterflies to the interaction of urbanization and geographic temperature. Ecology 95(9):2613-2621. (link is external)

Ries, L., K. Oberhauser, D. Taron, E. Rendon-Salinas. 2015. Connecting eastern monarch population dynamics across their migratory cycle. In (K. Oberhauser, ed.) Monarchs in a changing world: Biology and conservation of an iconic insect. Cornell University Press. Ithaca, NY.(link is external)

Zipkin, Elise F., Leslie Ries, Rick Reeves, James Regetz, and Karen S. Oberhauser. 2012. Tracking climate impacts on the migratory monarch butterfly. Global Change Biology 18:3039-3049 (link is external)

Woods, Jennifer N., John Wilson, and James R. Runkle. 2008. Influence of climate on butterfly community and population dynamics in western Ohio. Environmental Entomology 37(3):696-706.(link is external)