1. What is the purpose of Caterpillars Count!?
Through the Caterpillars Count! project, participants conduct arthropod surveys on trees and shrubs, helping us understand how insect communities vary from one place to another and over time. Insects and other arthropods are an important food source for birds and other wildlife, and they have economic and environmental impacts on our forests and crops. In some regions, insects are declining, and the timing of insect activity is occurring earlier, and your data will help scientists better predict the impacts of such changes, and better address the drivers of decline.
2. How can I participate in Caterpillars Count!?
1) Get involved at an existing Caterpillars Count! site near you by contacting the local Site Coordinator, or 2) Start a new Caterpillars Count! monitoring site, which involves registering it online, and selecting and physically tagging at least 10 survey branches for periodic monitoring.
3. How do I register a new Caterpillars Count! site online?
Once you've created a user account, you can create a new site by clicking on My Account > Create New Site. Caterpillars Count! sites are typically at established locations such as schools, environmental education centers, parks, and bird banding stations, but dedicated individuals can certainly set up their own site (e.g. in a private backyard) as well.
4. How do I choose survey branches for a new Caterpillars Count! site?
You will select a minimum of 10 survey trees (and ideally 30+) of representative understory vegetation according to project protocols. These instructions will show you how to select plants, record the location and species name, and hang a tag with a unique survey code on each branch.
5. What does a foliage arthropod survey involve?
You will use one of two approved methods for conducting arthropod surveys, depending on the site. Check out these videos to see surveys in action using our free mobile app.
6. How do I install the Caterpillars Count! mobile app?
The mobile web app works on most mobile devices, however it is not available in the app stores. Instead, to install the app on your phone, you must follow the instructions on this page.
7. How long does it take to do Caterpillars Count! surveys?
Ideally, all tagged branches at a site get surveyed together on the same date. A single survey takes anywhere from 1-10 minutes depending on how many bugs you find and the method you use, and so the total time will depend on how many survey branches are at your site and the number of surveyors. For an average site with 30 survey trees, it might take a group of 2 inexperienced volunteers ~1.5 hours (assuming 6 minutes/survey), while an experienced group of 4 could easily finish in 20 minutes.
8. How often should Caterpillars Count! surveys be conducted?
It is up to you! If you conduct surveys weekly throughout the growing season, your data can be used to answer questions about seasonal variation. However, even if you conduct surveys just once per year, your data can still be used to answer questions about geographic variation and long-term trends in insect communities. Feel free to monitor as frequently as you are able for as long as leaves are on the trees and shrubs!
9. Can I use the mobile app at a remote site without cell service?
Yes, our mobile web app has an Offline Mode allowing you to save surveys on your device while in remote locations. Your surveys will automatically get uploaded when you are back in range of cell or wifi.
10. Do I need to be an expert in arthropod identification?
You do not need to be an expert, but you do need to be able to ID arthropods at the taxonomic level of order, e.g., distinguishing beetles, flies, spiders, caterpillars, leafhoppers, and other groups. We have an Arthropod ID quiz and Virtual Survey Game to help you practice, an Arthropod ID cheat sheet that you can take in the field with you, and a guide to commonly misidentified groups. Take photos of the insects you report, and we will help you learn when you make mistakes.
11. I messed up! Can I delete or edit my observations?
Yes! If you made a mistake in your identification that you realized later, or you accidentally entered a survey branch twice, you can edit or delete any observations using the Manage My Surveys page of the website.
12. Can I visualize the data that I submit or contribute to?
Yes! Anyone can visualize all Caterpillars Count! data on our Maps and Graphs page. How does the arthropod density at your site compare to others sites around the world? Which tree species support the most bugs? When was the seasonal peak in caterpillars at your site? The data exploration tool is also great for open-ended class exercises! (see #13)
13. Does Caterpillars Count! have any classroom-based learning activities?
Yes, our For Educators page has links to a number of learning activities related to climate change, caterpillars, food webs and phenology that meet various state and national education standards. Thinking about setting up a monitoring site for your class?
14. How will my data be used?
These data will continue to be used by scientists to address research questions related to the impacts of climate change, urbanization, and non-native plants on insect declines, biogeography, and seasonality of foliage arthropods. Check out the published research using these data on the Publications page.
15. How can I access Caterpillars Count! data?
Caterpillars Count! data are made available under a Creative Commons CCZero 1.0 License, and are accessible from our Data Download page. Data underlying visualizations on the Maps and Graphs page are also available by clicking the "Download" button associated with each graph.
16. Who runs Caterpillars Count!?
Caterpillars Count! was founded by Dr. Allen Hurlbert from the University of North Carolina, and started as part of a broader National Science Foundation funded project on phenological mismatch.