Butterflies of Summer (In-person lectures and field trips)
Jun 03 - Jul 08 (Wednesday)
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Woodend Sanctuary
$270.00
About This Activity
NATH8271, 1.5 CEUs Class night and time: Wednesdays, 7-9 pm Class meetings: June 3-July 8 Lectures in person at Woodend Field trip dates: June 6, June 13 and June 20; generally 9 am-3 pm. Locations TBD to allow flexibility to best observe target species. Optional activity: Summer Butterfly Count at Green Ridge State Forest, June 27 Instructor: Rick Borchelt By late May, most of the early spring butterflies are history and an entirely new set of butterfly actors takes stage in the Mid-Atlantic. June offers the greatest diversity of butterflies of the year, and the season offers a unique insight into butterfly-plant interactions and coevolution. Participants will learn to identify the expected butterflies in the mid-Atlantic that fly in the height of summer with special emphasis on swallowtails, hairstreaks, and nymphalids, including Maryland’s state butterfly, the Baltimore Checkerspot. In addition, we will observe and document nectar resources for select species, participate in citizen-science documentation of butterfly diversity and abundance, and discuss Maryland’s process for determining rare, threatened, and endangered species status for butterflies. Field trips will include a wide variety of habitats to maximize the numbers of species class participants will see; locations will be chosen closer to the class dates based on what is on the wing but are likely to include the US National Arboretum, Frederick Watershed Forest and environs, and Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Participants will also have an optional opportunity to participate in the annual summer butterfly count at Green Ridge State Forest. Recommended resources: Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia: A Field Guide. By Harry E. LeGrand Jr., Jeffrey S. Pippen, Derb Carter Jr, and Pierre Howard. University of North Carolina Press, 2024. Kaufman Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America. By Kenn Kaufman and J
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