The Butterflies in My Backyard project may have began in B.C. but it鈥檚 going national.

The volunteer-based project known as BIMBY is recruiting folks now who will be willing to capture photos on their ubiquitous smartphones.

鈥淭he 2024 season is about to kick off, and for the first time since the project鈥檚 inception we are calling for everyone in the country to join,鈥� organizers said in a post.

鈥淭ogether, we can help scientists learn about the state of Canada鈥檚 302 butterfly species and the environments that help them survive and thrive.鈥�

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Stephen Deedes-Vincke is the volunteer iNaturalist specialist, training the 鈥渟eekers鈥� and helping to analyze the data.

In 2023, volunteers submitted more than 20,000 photos of 143 different butterfly species to the BIMBY Project on the iNaturalist app.

That鈥檚 incredibly valuable data, and similar to the work of volunteers counters who participate in Christmas Bird Counts.

鈥淏y actively participating in the David Suzuki Foundation鈥檚 BIMBY Project, I have the privilege of merging my passion for nature and conservation with my keen interest in community science and data analysis,鈥� said Deedes-Vincke.

鈥淥ur collective efforts aim to influence future policy decisions and safeguard not only our butterflies but also other vital pollinators and wildlife. Through our work I aspire to make a meaningful contribution toward the protection of butterflies throughout Canada.

The project began in 2022 in partnership with University of British Columbia ecologist Michelle Tseng, UBC Botanical Garden associate director Tara Moreau and iNaturalist specialist Stephen Deedes-Vincke to document butterflies in British Columbia.

According to John Reynolds, conservation ecologist at Simon Fraser University and past chair of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, 鈥淏IMBY Seekers created data that will be used by conservation biologists to create policy to protect the most vulnerable butterfly species.鈥�

So the project that started in B.C. is going national this summer to help the butterflies that help pollinate.

Recruitment is on now for BIMBY seekers. Register by April 12. www.davidsuzuki.org/BIMBY.