Spring is changing. The snow is melting earlier, wildflowers are blooming sooner, and trees are leafing out faster. How are West Virginia White butterflies faring? Help us monitor them. During spring, find a patch of rich, hardwood forest, count all the butterflies you find, and report them to eButterfly. Even if you don’t find any butterflies, zeros are important to report too! Can you break the early or late record for a West Virginia White sighting? Who will have the highest count? Can we find them in places they’ve never been recorded? We can’t wait to find out! Learn how at https://val.vtecostudies.org/missions/west-virginia-white-watch/

Did you know that there are 42 species of lady beetle that have been recorded in the state of Vermont? Of these species, 35 are native! Sadly, many native lady beetle species have been in decline across North America, thought to be caused by a combination of land use change and the introduction of non-native lady beetle species.

In Vermont, we do not have many data on Vermont's modern lady beetle fauna. Additionally, 12 of our native species have not been seen in over 40 years - are they extirpated (extinct) in Vermont, or do they still exist in small populations? The VAL team has started the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas and the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas on iNaturalist to answer these questions and more. Join us in our search!

How you can help:

• Upload photos of lady beetles you find to iNaturalist and join the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas on iNaturalist to receive project updates.
• Participate in the Vermont Lady Beetle BioBlitz from June 5 to June 12 - visit the BioBlitz page here and stay tuned for more information!
• Check out the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas participation page to learn more on how you can become more involved in this project, including adopting a Lady Beetle Priority Survey Block!

Please reach out to Julia Pupko (jpupko@vtecostudies.org) or Kent McFarland (kmcfarland@vtecostudies.org) with any questions!