HOLDERNESS — Squam Lakes Natural Science Center invites community members to take part in three butterfly-focused community science events this summer: Butterfly Count Field Training, Monarch Monitoring Mondays and the first-ever Squam Lakes Butterfly Count.
These programs allow participants to contribute scientific data supporting butterfly conservation and long-term monitoring efforts at both the state and national level. Butterflies are important indicators of environmental health, and monitoring their populations helps researchers better understand the impacts of habitat loss, climate change and changing ecosystems.
On Thursday, June 11, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., the Science Center will host Butterfly Count Field Training led by Heidi Holman, NH Fish and Game Wildlife diversity biologist. Participants will search for crescents, blues, sulphurs and other butterflies, learning to identify them by their field marks, flight patterns, and behavior. This hands-on program is designed to help participants to sharpen their butterfly identification skills before the Squam Lakes Butterfly Count on July 8.
Monarch Monitoring Mondays will take place weekly from June 29 through Aug. 31 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Pemi Oxbow Preserve in Holderness. Participants will help look for monarch eggs and caterpillars as part of the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, a citizen science initiative tracking monarch populations across North America. Volunteers will collect data used by researchers to better understand monarch population trends and habitat health. Participants may attend weekly or drop in when schedules allow.
On Wednesday, July 8, from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., the Science Center will host the first-ever Squam Lakes Butterfly Count. Participants will survey local habitats for butterfly species as part of a coordinated community science effort. Data collected during the event will support the New Hampshire Butterfly Monitoring Network and help inform future conservation efforts.
There is no cost to participate in these programs, but advance registration is required. For more information or to register, visit nhnature.org.
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