Monday, May 7, 2012

It is butterfly season again! Audubon is now organizing Rhode Island's annual NABA Butterfly Count! At this event, butterfly enthusiasts identify and count all the butterflies they can in a single day. Results help us learn more about butterfly ecology in our state--see last year's report! This year we will be offering more naturalist-led teams for the count so that people can learn to identify butterflies in the field. Naturalist-led teams will carry a fee of $6/Audubon member and $8/non-member. If you are a confident butterflier and would like to survey on your own, you can participate for $3 for each count date you participate in. This covers the basic fee that NABA charges us for each participant.

ALL TEAMS MEET at 10 AM. Survey for an hour or two, or bring a lunch and stay until the team wraps up at 2 PM!

Saturday, June 30 (East Bay counts)
Naturalist-led teams:
Audubon Environmental Education Center, Bristol. Led by Joe Koger
Norman Bird Sanctuary, Middletown. Led by Lauren Miller
Sakonnet Greenway, Portsmouth. Led by July Lewis
Nockum Hill, George St., Barrington. Led by Lisa Maloney.

Saturday, July 7 (West Bay counts)
Naturalist-led teams:
Powder Mill Ledges, Smithfield. Led by Kim Calcagno
Fisherville Brook, Exeter. Led by Laura Carberry
Trustom Pond, South Kingstown. Led by July Lewis
Newman Farm, Smithfield/Glocester. MEET AT POWDER MILL LEDGES. Led by Eugenia Marks.

To register for any of these teams, please call 401-949-5454 and dial 0 for the receptionist. If you are surveying on your own, please contact July Lewis at jlewis@asri.org to arrange a site and get all the details you need to participate.

Happy Butterflying!

July Lewis