Maricopa County Parks and Recreation: Usery Butterfly Monitoring

Usery Mountain Regional Park
Meet at the Nature Center parking lot

Multiple monitoring routes, including:

Desert Hawk Trail: ~1-mile loop (easy level)
Merkle Loop and Vista Trail: 1.1 miles (moderate level)
Short walk to Path Pond Trail: 0.06 miles

Five Maricopa County Park Locations will host Citizen Science Butterfly Monitoring events on Saturday, March 21. Each park will offer a guided monitoring experience led by regional butterfly experts. Participation is limited to 10 people per park, and attendees may register for one monitoring event only, as all events take place at the same time.

Have you ever spotted a butterfly and wished you knew its name? This hands-on monitoring experience is for you! Participants will learn butterfly identification, key distinguishing features, flight patterns, and the plant species preferred by different butterflies—all while contributing to an active citizen science program.

Data collected during these events is shared with regional and national experts, helping scientists better understand butterfly populations and long-term trends both locally and nationwide.

Participants must be 18 years or older. Youth ages 13 and up may participate with adult supervision or a signed parent/guardian waiver.

To register, please click on the link https://signup.com/go/ezpWufk