• The Lost Ladybug Project uses data collected by community scientists like you to track shifts in ladybug populations. Over the past two decades, scientists have noticed a decrease in native ladybug populations as non-native ladybug populations increase. Your data can help scientists figure out where and why this is happening.

What you'll need to do:

1. Locate the ladybugs! You can easily find ladybugs in any area full of lush plant growth. Ladybugs are voracious predators that feed on smaller insects like aphids - so if you can find good insect habitat, you should be able to find ladybugs.

2. Collect the ladybugs. You can sweep a net through soft grasses, carefully shake ladybugs out of a shrub or bush, or even set up a light trap on a white sheet (see instructions in "Beyond Data Collection" below.

3. Photograph your ladybugs. They might be too mobile to get a good picture when you first catch them. You can help them "cool down" by popping them in a cooler or freezer for just a couple minutes (no more than 5!) to slow them down a bit for photography. Snap a clear, zoomed-in picture that shows all of the ladybug's markings.

4. Submit your photos along with information about where you collected your ladybugs at the Lost Ladybug Project website.

5. Be sure to release your ladybugs where you found them.

Firefly Watch, a collaboration between Massachusetts Audubon and Tufts University, collects firefly sighting data from community scientists all across North America. Scientists are attempting to discover whether or not firefly populations are decreasing and what the drivers of decline may be.

Firefly Watch would like its participants to spend 10 minutes counting fireflies in the evening, one night per week, throughout the summer. Even if you can't commit to checking in every week, however, they find any data valuable.

Here's what you'll need to do to take part in this exciting project:

1. Review the training materials found on the Firefly Watch website. Be sure to review the Observation Form and either print it or save it to a mobile device so you can record observations in the field. You should also review the flash pattern infographic to familiarize yourself with the flash patterns of various firefly species, and either print it or save it to a mobile device for use in the field.

2. Check out our tips for Being Prepared and head outside! Note that if you apply insect repellent, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling any fireflies.

3. Follow the steps listed on the Observation Form. You'll have to record basic information about environmental conditions at your observation site, and then record three separate 10-second observations of fireflies blinking.

4. Submit your observation to Massachusetts Audubon. You'll need to register for a free account to login and submit observations. It's as simple as transferring the information you recorded on your observation form into the website.

Journey North uses community science data to track the migrations of North American creatures like robins, hummingbirds, and monarch butterflies. Community scientists can also contribute plant phenology data - that is, the seasonal changes in plant life cycles such as the first flowers blooming or leaves dropping in the fall.

Submitting a new report is very simple and does not require any special knowledge or equipment (although you should know what a monarch butterfly looks like! See the pictures of the adult, its chrysalis, and larvae to the left). Here's what you'll need to do:

1. Head to the Journey North Sightings Report page and create a free login or use this login: arlingtonecho@aacps.org Arlington

2. Once you're signed in, you can use the embedded Google Maps window to select the location where you made your sighting.

3. Upload a photograph of your sighting.

4. Under "What did you see?" you have several options: monarch adult, monarch larvae, monarch egg, or monarch captive-reared. There is also a "first sighted" option for each, which you should only select if it's the first time you've spotted that particular monarch life stage this year. If you're interested in learning more about raising your own monarch caterpillar and releasing the adult butterfly, check out the Beyond Data Collection section below.

5. After you've reporter your sighting, you can check out other Journey North users' sightings on the Maps tab.

• Learn how to observe night time insects like moths and fireflies in the Head Outside With Arlington Echo video embedded to the left.

You'll need:

• • • Large white sheet

    • Clips or nails or tacks for hanging sheet

    • Bright lamp (regular light bulb or black light)

Note: If you are collecting eggs or caterpillars in the wild, please limit yourself to just a few caterpillars. Leave behind a healthy wild population.