Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea) spreading its wings above its cocoon last June © Kent McFarland |
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Here in Vermont, we dream of June during the darkest days of January. Verdant wooded hillsides glowing brightly under a robin egg sky. Warm afternoon breezes roll through the valleys as we lounge by the clear waters of a cold river. The chorus of birds wakes us each morning. The smell of freshly cut grass wafts through the window. We forget about the clouds of black flies, the hum of the mosquitos, and the rainy days. June is a dream here. Its days last forever.
Read your guide to June here.
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Join Us for Our Biodiversity Jamboree!
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A Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and an Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) © Emily Anderson
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Our Biodiversity Jamboree is Saturday, June 10th! Join us and our collaborators at the North Branch Nature Center for nature walks, nature talks, and a lot more! You'll also want to stick around and get tickets for the keynote speech by renowned biologist Doug Tallamy.
Click the link here to read all the details.
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A Rare Butterfly Discovered in Vermont |
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About the size of a penny, a Bog Elfin, its wings folded up over its body, sips nectar among the petals of a Rhodora flower. © Bryan Pfeiffer | Redistribution or any other use of this image is prohibited without express written permission of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies or the copyright owner. |
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Nearly every spring for the past 21 years, Bryan Pfeiffer has trekked into some of the most remote bogs across Vermont. Along the way, he donated blood to black flies, sunk into muck, and on occasion wondered whether he’d get out of certain bogs alive.
Year after year, Pfeiffer never found what he was searching for: Bog Elfin, one of the smallest and most elusive butterflies on the continent, and a rarity nobody had ever seen in Vermont.
But persistence and experience finally paid off in mid-May when Pfeiffer, alone in northern Vermont, finally caught up with the tiny butterfly—and lived to tell about it.
Read the full story here.
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Mansfield’s Ridgeline Lures VCE Back for Season #32
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Kevin Tolan, Nathaniel Sharp, and Melory Brandao (L-R) check nets on Mt. Mansfield's Amherst Trail on June 1, 2023. © Michael Sargent
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It's that time of year again! VCE goes back up the mountain to start our thirty-second banding season. It could not have gone better, and we got quite the haul last week. This update was written by our retired executive director Chris Rimmer, who will continue to work on Mansfield this year. Click here to read the full update.
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Spring Field Notes is now Available |
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Curious about what we're up to at VCE? Then check out our semi-annual publication, Field Notes! We give project updates on our Fairy Shrimp search, mountain invertebrate investigation, and the Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas.
Want to get the publication in print right when it comes out? Consider becoming a donor.
Check out the publication here.
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Summer Field Trips Are Still Open! |
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VCE biologist Steve Faccio shows a glob of salamander eggs to field trip participants. © Alyssa Fishman |
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Join us in the field to learn more about VCE's work directly from our staff scientists! There's still space on a few of our small-group field trips this summer, and anyone can join! Visit VCE's website to learn more about what trips are still open and reserve your spot(s).
Due to high demand, we have also added two more Bee Workshops scheduled for July 6th and August 27th.
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Photo-observation of the Month
by Bernie Paquette
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A Mining Bee (Andrena sp.) hitches a ride on the tail end of an American Emerald in Starksboro, VT. © Bernie Paquette |
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This month’s winning photo observation offers a reminder to look closely and pay attention to behavior to make exciting new discoveries! When Bernie noticed a dragonfly acting strangely on the ground, he got up close with his camera and documented a fascinating interaction between a bee and a dragonfly. Surprisingly, the bee was not shaken loose when the dragonfly took flight, and it’s anyone’s guess exactly what was going on here. Some hypotheses put forth by other naturalists guess that the bee may have been in search of salts, minerals, or other nutrients on a rather unusual substrate; or perhaps this male mining bee was confused by the pheromones exuded by the dragonfly and attempted to mate with it! Either way, this observation goes right up there in the pantheon of odd pairings on iNaturalist, including two of my personal favorites: a Wood Frog embracing a Spotted Salamander and an amorous male American Kestrel flirting with a skeptical Merlin.
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The Vermont Center for Ecostudies promotes wildlife conservation across the Americas using the combined strength of scientific research and community engagement. Find us online at vtecostudies.org. |
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