The Alberta Lepidopterists’ Guild (ALG) is a non-profit society made up of amateur and professional Lepidopterists. Our objective is to support and encourage the study and appreciation of Alberta Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). We coordinate research projects, facilitate information exchange, and host events for Lepidoptera enthusiasts. We also produce a biannual newsletter, host an electronic bulletin board, and have a Facebook page.

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Alberta is a province in western Canada which includes a diverse range of habitats, including mountains, boreal forest, and prairie. Over 3000 species of butterflies and moths are thought to live here; so far about 2500 of these are known.

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The ALG was formally inaugurated by 16 Lepidoptera enthusiasts on October 16, 1999 at Olds College, Alberta. Since that time the group has tripled in size, and our membership includes all the authors of the popular guidebooks “Alberta Butterflies” and “Butterflies of Alberta”. Although the society’s focus is on Alberta, we have members all over western Canada and elsewhere.

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Our members are involved in a number of Lepidoptera-related projects, including publication of a provincial checklist with regular updates, conservation initiatives, and survey and inventory work. ALG members curate major institutional collections at the University of Alberta, and the Canadian Forest Service lab in Edmonton. Members are involved in research on Lepidoptera systematics, Lepidoptera pests of agricultural and forested lands, and the use of Lepidoptera as biodiversity indicators. Members of the group have also been invited to give talks and put on demonstrations, complete with light sheets and traps, for a number of Natural History and Conservation groups. ALG Members also participate in or organize many butterfly counts in Alberta each season.