BCSA websites and a few key features
by Lionel Edwards February 2024
BCSA spreads a message about conservation, particularly for lepidoptera, in various ways. On the internet, our key site (at https://butterflyconservationsa.net.au/) mainly focuses on the greater Adelaide region.
We also maintain a more research-focused site, a redevelopment of Roger Grund OAM’s data. Roger’s data covers the whole of South Australia, and is now referred to as the SA Butterflies site ( https://sabutterflies.org.au/home/ )
We have two other websites at different stages of development. One, based on the work of Dr. John Grehan, has a listing, with illustrations, of the entire known taxonomy of the Hepialidae moth family: http://www.johngrehan.butterflyconservationsa.net.au/index-php/hepialidae/
The other is being developed to help in identification of caterpillars. Based on the work of Jan Forrest OAM and Dr Peter McQuillan, an initial rollout of this interactive tool will appear as a website this year, with a smartphone application to follow.
BCSA has a social media presence on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ButterflyConservationSA/ ) and Citizen Science platforms.
Our YouTube channel has public talks and special interest videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3LZ9HPh1-DlH-01YIObkiA/videos).
All the above sites now managed by BCSA are listed at https://butterflyconservationsa.net.au/about/bcsa-managed-internet-sites/ as one of the options under the About heading (top right of the BCSA website home screen).
Also available there is information about current projects involving BCSA, and a newsletter archive.
Elsewhere, on the BCSA website home page, near the middle, Read & Observe leads to a growing list of resources. For example, Websites and galleries focused on Lepidoptera includes a couple of collections of images. We will add more collections here.
The key BCSA website has many embedded links to our other sites. For example, the BCSA website provides an online identification tool for butterflies, and each butterfly page includes a link to more scientific data on SA Butterflies.
On opening the BCSA website’s online identification tool, butterflies are listed in order of common name at the bottom. If you filter the list by either attributes or suburb/postcode, and press the relevant GO button, your filter will be applied. If filtering by suburb/postcode you will also see one or more downloadable lists of butterflies and plants that were found prior to European colonisation in the given area.
- If you choose to Read More about a selected butterfly, you will be shown some key facts, a relevant link in SA Butterflies, and (usually) an option to download a fact sheet.
- If you select the relevant page on SA Butterflies, a blue and white icon in the bottom right of the screen offers a more scientific downloadable fact sheet about the given butterfly.
On the home page of SA Butterflies, butterflies are grouped by family and listed in order of scientific name. Select a family and click on a scientific name to learn interesting facts about a butterfly. Some picture galleries at the bottom of the screen have multiple pictures for each life stage. (EG Belenois Java Teutonia). If you click on a picture for a given life stage you may see more.
If you select a region from the drop down list for SA Regions (a tab at the top of the home page of SA Butterflies) you can learn about butterflies associated with that region. If you click on the “SA Regions” heading itself, an interactive SA map provides choice.
Our websites are a work in progress. How could it be otherwise when classifications of creatures evolve? We are aware of some things that need to be fixed, but feedback is welcome and should be emailed to web@butterflyconservationsa.net.au