This observatory is part of the Vigie Nature network.

The Office pour les insectes et leur environnement (Office for insects and the environment – OPIE) and the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN) teamed up in 2010 to create the SPIPOLL citizen science program open to all.

Participants follow a simple protocol to photograph all insects visiting a flowering plant species of their choice during a period of exactly 20 minutes. They can then share their “collections” on a website. The site is a collaborative platform of photographic data accessible to everyone, even if they are not registered in the program.

A total of 630 morphotypes selected for mainland France (species or groups of species that cannot be distinguished from a photo alone) were created. Participants are asked to identify at least 50% of the insects they photograph using the identification key provided online. This interactive module was developed with a high expectation: to be accessible to as many people as possible thanks to simple criteria and a very user-friendly design. Xper3 software was used in conjunction with the LIS Informatics and Systematics Laboratory (MNHN, UPMC, CNRS)