You are missing Canada! Why refer to "North America" in your title?

First, let us remind users that this site and its underlying database are an ambitious work in progress. Our partners include museums, professional organizations, and both trained and amateur lepidopterists. These groups and individuals submit data, or else we have no data with which to build checklists and distribution maps. While we collect Canadian data, it is woefully incomplete. The same is true for the U.S. states of Hawaii and Alaska, though we are able to map Alaska species distributions at the state level. We simply do not have enough data from Canada to map accurate species distributions at this early stage, but you can help! If you wish to review records for Canada or to submit data for Canada, please contact us. We welcome new partners.

Second, this project is not limited in scope to the United States, so it would be inaccurate to describe it as "Butterflies and Moths of the United States," as some have suggested. Our geographer assures us that Mexico is indeed considered part of North America by modern geographers, and we have fruitful partnerships with lepidopterists who are knowledgeable about Mexican species. So, while it may appear to make sense to change the title to "United States and Mexico" for the present time, it is also not accurate given the Canadian data collection mentioned above.

Third, we acknowledge the map boundaries are misleading as they do not display all of North America. Northern Canada, Alaska, and southern Mexico are cut off from the main "North America" map (though Alaska or Mexico can be specifically selected from the menu). One of the challenges of web design is fitting oddly-shaped maps into a set space! We are working to alter the map box, but in the meantime, it will remain as is.

Finally, if your interest in butterflies and moths brought you to this site, please take the time to find out how you can get involved (submitting data, reviewing submissions, submitting photographs) to make it a better resource. While we like to hear useful criticism and suggestions, broad complaints are of no use.