Beetles, bees and butterflies: How to explore your buzzing backyard ecosystem

Have you ever thought about just how many insect species call your yard home? There are thousands of species to discover just outside your door.The app iNaturalist lets users upload photos to identify insects, animals, fungi and more. Each iNaturalist entry helps the team at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) catalogue every living species in the Vermont Atlas of Life. Two VCE biologists discuss ways to spot and catalogue local species: Kent McFarland, VCE's co-founder and the force behind the Vermont Butterfly Atlas, and Spencer Hardy, a bee biologist who runs VCE's Wild Bee Survey and the co-owner of The Farm Upstairs in Jericho.Amateur naturalist and community scientist Bernie Paquette of Jericho is one of the top bee observers in the world on iNaturalist, where he posts research-grade photographs of insects. Last year, he received the 2025 Julie Nicholson Community Science Award from VCE.