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Guide to monitoring

I saw something special 15 minute count Walk transect Flowerpatch count

I saw something special

Imagine you are walking and suddenly you see something special. An insect or flower that you have never seen before, is very beautiful or perhaps even rare, but you are not monitoring it. In this case, there is the possibility to report a single observation in the InsectsCount app.

15 minute count

15-minute counts can be used at any place at any time. This method is mainly used to monitor insects. You either walk around or stay in one place and report all insects that you see in the 15-minute timeframe. You can put the time on hold if you need to spend time for identification. Your location will be recorded automatically. After 15 minutes, you submit the observations. If you would like to continue, you can start a new count at a different location.

Walk transect

Transect counts only apply to sites that are included in the European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (EBMS). When monitoring by walking a transect you start by setting out a transect of approximately 1 kilometre and monitoring on this transect several times between April and September, taking in to account the weather conditions. During the observation you record all insects in the app. Walking a transect is a way of monitoring that provides high quality data, because one specific route is monitored long-term and throughout the season.

Flowerpatch count

The Flowerpatch or Flower-Insect Timed (FIT) count is an easy way to observe insects and flowers in dry weather. You select a flowerpatch of around 50x50 cm and note the flower type. Then you stand or sit down in one spot for 10 minutes and record all insects you observe on the flowers in that timeframe. This method enables us to monitor the important process of pollination in addition to which species are present.