Saturday, August 6, 2022

In a recent National Geographic newsletter, Jason Bittel reported that Monarch butterflies may be doing better than we thought. This is based on a study of the data collected for the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) by citizen scientists all over the U.S. The study is controversial but seems to show that in some areas, such as here in Loudoun, planting milkweed, which Monarch caterpillars need to survive, has truly helped these insects. Of course, the Monarch is just one of over 50 different butterfly species the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy annual butterfly count records each year. Since 1997 our data has been submitted to NABA and made available to entomologists who study butterflies. Find out more about the count, previous years’ data, and how you can be a part of this year’s event at https://loudounwildlife.org/citizen-science/butterfly-count/. Beginners and experts are welcome.