Global warming: Citizen scientists document rapid shifts in Massachusetts butterfly populations

Global warming is shifting butterfly populations dramatically.

Southern species becoming more common in parts of New England

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Global warming is reshaping butterfly communities in the Northeast, according to trends that have been well documented by butterfly enthusiasts and citizen scientists in Massachusetts.

During the past 19 years, the Massachusetts Butterfly Club has logged species counts on more than 20,000 treks in the area, with their observations filling a crucial gap in the scientific record.

The information was incorporated by researcher Greeg Breed, a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass., and published in the most recent issue of Nature Climate Change. (more…)

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