Maritime ringlet butterfly monitoring

The Chaleur Bay Watershed Group continues the environmental monitoring of the Maritime Ringlet (Coenonympha nipisiquit) that began in 2005. This species of rare butterfly lives in one of our watersheds’ salt marshes. The salt marsh is located downstream of Peters River in the City of Beresford.

The Maritime Ringlet is one of only two butterfly species in Canada living exclusively in salt marshes. The species was discovered and reported for the first time in 1939 in salt marshes near Bathurst, New Brunswick. The main factors affecting this species are its limited geographical distribution, low population and fragmented habitat.

Monitoring includes population count during the butterfly’s flight season from early July to late August. The group must be available 7 days a week for data collection. The transect is preset by the Monitoring Protocol for the Maritime Ringlet Butterfly in New Brunswick, Canada (2007). In addition to the number of individuals observed, the group notes sky conditions, wind speed, temperature and any potential disruption to the butterfly’s habitat. This data is then compiled into our final reports.