Colias Protocol

Check the weather for the week ahead of time and plan accordingly. Some base guidelines include:

• Wind Speeds no higher than 10 km/h
• Around 20 °C at 10am
• Sunny with little cloud cover
• No rain

If weather conditions are ideal, below is the catching protocol:

1. For Colias that land, allow the butterfly to land on the plant,
2. Avoid casting shadows over landed butterflies
3. Catch the butterfly using a net from above
4. Once caught, allow the butterfly to ascend to the top of thee net
5. Fold the net to prevent escape through the bottom.
6. Hold the forewings from outside the net using fingers
7. Using tweezers, insert them into the net, grasping the butterfly’s hindwing, then carefully remove it from the net
8. How to insert colias into the envelope; a. Write butterfly ID on an envelope b. Take a picture of the butterfly using the ID as a background, ensure that the ID is visible in the picture c. Using the tweezers insert the folded butterfly into the envelope and seal the envelope d. Place into pringle tube
9. Complete the fieldwork tracking sheet a. Ensure to include weather, time, date, park name, land composition, description, coordinates and number of pedestrians

What to write on the envelope:

• Date
• Time
• Name of Park ex. Neilson Fields
• ID of butterfly ex. NF1
• Coordinates of location
• Initials of individuals doing fieldwork