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viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Closeup of a butterfly perched on thin green leaves with its wings spread wide. The butterfly's wings have an orange base color with black veins and bordering, and small white spots within the black border and in the top middle of its forewings.

he increasing volume of insect photo observations shared on iNaturalist and similar sites can no longer be ignored, and entomologists are finding ways to use it. A review in Annals of the Entomological Society of America digs into best practices for bolstering entomological research with this growing body of citizen-science data. Among various findings, the researchers note an over-representation among online photo sharing of butterflies and moths (order Lepidoptera) and of arthropods from the Northern Hemisphere, particularly North America—such as this image of a viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) taken in Benton County, Washington, USA. (Photo by Lisa Hill via iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0)

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