Join an Upcoming Vermont Atlas of Life Mission!

From butterflies to dragonflies and everything in between, join one of our biodiversity missions this spring. Naturalists of all ages and abilities are helping us monitor Vermont's flora and fauna. The Vermont Atlas of Life missions are projects that are short and easy for just about anyone to join, and they contribute invaluable observations for science and conservation. Pick one or several, and join the community! Coming up in April are two missions that need your help.

Dragonfly migration has been observed on every continent except Antarctica, with some species performing spectacular long-distance mass movements. Like birds, millions of Common Green Darners migrate north in the spring and south in the fall. We discovered that Common Green Darner spring migration closely follows the average daily temperature of 48°F northward. Will climate change shift the species' migration and arrival dates? Help beat our predictions and detect changes by joining the Northeast Darner Flight Watch. Visit the mission and view a live map of arrival predictions and darner observations.

Spring is changing. The snow is melting earlier, wildflowers are blooming sooner, and trees are leafing out faster. We want to learn how an unusual butterfly that flies only in forests in early spring, the West Virginia White, is faring—and you can help us find out! Your mission: from now until early June, locate a patch of rich, hardwood forest, walk a transect (daily, weekly, whatever works for you), count all the butterflies you find, and report them to our mission. Even if you don’t find any butterflies, zeros are essential 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? Join the West Virginia White Watch and help us find out! Visit the mission data collection site at eButterfly and view results from other watchers.

Posted on April 12, 2022 03:30 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland

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