ASSESS THE BOARD

Before you start have a good look - check for things like:

- Are there any "x2" doublers? If so, how many butterfly points are there in those colors? The more other Red butterflies there are, the better the Red x2 is etc

- How many bees and honeycombs are there, and which one is rarer? On a board with 3 honeycombs but only 1 bee then the bee is a really premium piece to collect, but if there are 3 bees and 1 honeycomb then the honeycomb becomes a premium. And if there are NO bees, don't bother too much collecting honeycombs!

- How many dragonflies, grasshoppers and lightning bugs are there? The *fewer* of these there are the more valuable they become. If there are lots of then don't bother to collect one early on - you can only score one, and there should be lots left later. But if there is (say) only one on the board, then it becomes much more valuable.

- How many flowers are there? The *more* flowers there are the more important they become.

PLAY THE GAME

Of course picking 5 point and 4 point butterflies up early on is great, especially if they are in colors that also have a x2 on the board somewhere.

Don't be tempted to take high-scoring dragonflies, grasshoppers and lightning bugs early if there are lots of them - you might take an early lead, but you will find at the end that the whole board is just more dragonflies, grasshoppers and lightning bugs and there is nothing left to score.

Similarly, don't worry if you fall behind on points but have a couple of flowers or a high-scoring honeycomb but no bee yet, or if the opponent has lots of points but is relying on a 9 point grasshopper and is likely to pick up a lower one later. Take your time and don't panic!

Also watch for when you can put your opponent into trouble - can you (for example) take a piece that then leaves them with only one move, where that move is a bad one (like being forced to take a wasp).

END THE GAME

Always be on the lookout for when there is an isolated piece that, if someone takes it, would end the game. If your opponent is ahead on points make sure you don't put them into a position where they can take that isolated piece and win. However, if YOU are ahead on points then watch out for any opportunity to end the game and claim your victory!