Welcome to the Netherlands BMS
In this tab, you will find specific information about the Dutch butterfly monitoring scheme. Please note that this butterfly monitoring scheme has its own official website, where you can find additional information.
About the Dutch BMS
The Dutch butterfly monitoring network began collecting transect count data in 1990 and later incorporated the 15-minute count and moth trap methods. De Vlinderstichting (Dutch Butterfly Conservation) leads the organisation of this BMS, which is largely funded by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN). The continued efforts of the coordination team, composed of Tove van der Weerd (main coordinator), Chris van Swaay (former coordinator), Maurits Mocnik (communication with volunteers), José Kok (communication with volunteers) and Hendrik Mertens (communication with volunteers), have allowed this BMS to become one of the biggest in Europe, while also maintaining the reliability of the data through expert verification. Together with Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the data are processed into reliable trends, as part of the Network Ecological Monitoring (NEM).
This monitoring scheme collects all transect count and moth trap data via its official website.
While 15-minute count data is also collected through its website, records made through the eBMS website and ButterflyCount App are also welcome.
Getting started - Contact us
Are you new to butterfly counts? Do you need help identifying butterflies?
Please contact the coordinators before starting a transect, they can help you place your transect and give advice on butterfly monitoring.
Please contact [email protected]
If you have problems or suggestions specifically regarding the eBMS app or website, please contact eBMS by writing [email protected].
Join the community
If you’re new or would like to keep up with the monitoring scheme’s updates, consider joining other like-minded citizen scientists on social media platforms:
Vlindermonitoring Facebook group: Join more than 1,500 volunteers of the Dutch BMS. Share your butterfly monitoring experiences and learn from other butterfly and moth enthusiasts like yourself.
De Vlinderstichting Facebook page: Follow the organisation coordinating the Dutch BMS. De Vlinderstichting runs many projects and activities beyond butterfly and moth monitoring!
Supporting materials and resources
Below are field guides and other useful resources to help you identify the butterflies present in your geographical area. If you are instead looking for materials about broader butterfly group identification or about butterfly count methodologies, please visit the materials tab.
De Vlinderstichting website
This website is only available in Dutch, but may be easily translated into English with the Google Translate tool.
The organisation's website not only includes information about its activities and developments, but also provides in-depth information about butterflies, moths and dragonflies, as well as tools for their identification and conservation:
The butterfly and dragonfly search tool
This section of the website fosters a comprehensive library of information about Dutch butterfly species. By clicking a species, you can view its distribution, flight curve, population trends, life cycle information, and more.
Browse publications
Here you can find the organisation's annual reports on butterfly population trends, educational leaflets on iconic butterfly species, brochures with suggestions for managing green areas to conserve pollinators, and much more.