Point Reyes Butterfly Count 2025 Results

A summary from the Marin Monarch Working Group newsletter:

The 2025 Point Reyes Butterfly Count held on July 19th attracted 52 volunteers who spread out in 10 teams to count butterflies within a 15 mile diameter circle, half of which encompasses most of the Point Reyes National Seashore.  In 2024 only 29 volunteers with 6 teams did the counting.  All levels of volunteers were welcome, from the skilled lepidopterist to the newbies who want to learn butterfly identification and perhaps just get out into nature.

On July 19th the weather was in the 60s and mostly overcast, even inland, and foggier closer to the coast.  In the early afternoon the sun would start to peek out occasionally in some areas, which seem to stimulate the cold-blooded butterflies to show themselves and be counted.  

Despite the cool and overcast conditions, a total of 491 butterflies were counted consisting of 29 species.  Highlights included 152 Acmon Blue butterflies along Inverness Ridge and the Coast trial.  In riparian areas a total of 26 bright orange and black Satyr Anglewing butterflies were observed, which, when sitting on the ground, fold their wings showing a drab beige underwing with a small white comma that looks exactly like a dead leaf.   In dune areas on the outer point the federally endangered Myrtle’s Silverspot butterflies were observed, which lay their eggs on dried stems and leaves of the Dog Violet.

The North American Butterfly Association sponsors around 450 butterfly counts across the US, Canada and Mexico.  The Point Reyes Butterfly Count monitored butterfly reestablishment after the 1995 Mt. Vision fire.  The compiled butterfly observations from this community science effort together with the others around North America provide a tremendous amount of information about the geographic distribution and relative butterfly populations.   This information is used for butterfly conservation including identifying butterflies and habitats that are in trouble.