Saturday, July 8, 2022
Our annual Butterfly Census will again take place on the first Saturday after July 4. We hope you will join us on Saturday, July 8 for this great citizen science project. The count will take place at the Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS) from 9:45 am to 2:00 pm. A map and information packet will be mailed to registered participants the week before the count. Registrants will be contacted if weather causes a last minute change of plans.
Required registration:
Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsyqILZVrzbEfe9EtrUPcr30bp_5MoRYwVGctlJw14_v_thQ/viewform Registration will remain open through Wednesday, July 5. A map and other information will be emailed to participants in the days prior to the count. Registrants will be contacted if weather causes a last-minute change of plans. This annual event is part of the July 4th Butterfly Count coordinated by the North American Butterfly Association (NABA: https://www.naba.org/). Saint Paul Audubon pays the NABA count fees, so the count at AHATS is free to all participants.
How to get there:
Registered participants will meet in the parking lot at the AHATS Arden Hills Readiness Center, 4761 Hamline Avenue North, just north of Highway 96. Drive through the AHATS gate to the Readiness Center, the first building on the left after you enter the training site. Restrooms are available in the Readiness Center.
During the count:
We will carpool to the various sites. Mary Lee, the Environmental Protection Specialist for the National Guard, will again be our great host and tour leader.
Useful Information to Help You Prepare:
www.naba.org The official website of the North American Butterfly Association. Find everything to do with these beloved insects: membership options, magazine PDFs, gardening information, checklists, regional information, beautiful photos. A great source of information about butterflies. www.wisconsinbutterflies.org An excellent site with species accounts and range maps of all butterflies encountered in Wisconsin; most of these species are also found in Minnesota. www.inaturalist.org A community science hub for submitting and exploring observations of organisms throughout the world. Over 30,000 observations of butterflies in Minnesota have been submitted to iNaturalist!
Recommended Butterfly Field Guide:
• Butterflies through Binoculars: The East, A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Eastern North America by Jeffrey Glassberg • Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman. For online identification guides, type ‘butterfly identification’ into your computer browser. There are several online apps for your cell phone, iPad, or laptop.
What to Bring and Wear:
Be sure to bring plenty of cool drinks, snacks, and a bag lunch. A wide-brimmed hat, lightweight long pants, long sleeved shirt (for protection from ticks, sun, and sharp grasses), sunscreen, high socks, old sneakers or rubber boots for bog-tromping, and insect repellent are recommended. Binoculars, a camera, and a butterfly field guide are recommended but not required. There are many interesting summer birds at AHATS, so you may also wish to bring a bird field guide.
