Lake in spring © Kent McFarland

The month of May is a show-off. Birds arrive on southern winds and liven the dawn with their chorus. Trees flower, and leaves burst from long-dormant buds. As pools and lakes awaken with new life, woodland wildflowers jump out of the ground to attract the attention of butterflies. Here's your monthly guide to a month that shouts of life and rejuvenation.

Upcoming VCE Events

VCE staff at Biothon: Wings Over Vermont © Alex Johnson

It's the busy season here at VCE, which means that we have a lot of upcoming workshops and field trips for everyone! Click the button below to visit our events page for a full list.

Join Us for the Biodiversity Jamboree!

Join VCE and North Branch Nature Center for our annual Biodiversity Jamboree!

Celebrate birds, bugs, plants, pollinators, and all creatures that call Vermont home in a day of field outings, workshops, nature exhibits, kids activities, live birds, music, food, art, presentations, and more! Explore the woods and meadows, and bring your discoveries to our naturalists at the laboratory tent. Find out what you can do to protect biodiversity in your own backyard or around the community. This event is free, but a fee is required for the keynote presentation.

Keynote Presentation by Amy Sheldon, Chair, Vermont House Committee on Environment and Energy. We hope to see you there!

@hobiecat

Congratulations to iNat user @hobiecat for winning the April 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Their photograph of a Big Brown Bat foraging on the evening of the April 8 solar eclipse received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month. Read the full article on our website.

Volunteer Opportunities

VCE bee biologist Spencer Hardy attempts to net a bee during one of many surveys. © Jacqueline Huettenmoser

Interested in becoming a community scientist or finding a new community science project? We're looking for volunteers! Check out some of the cool opportunities below.

Eastern Whip-poor-will surveys

Pollinator Interactions on Plants

Mountain Birdwatch surveys

2nd Vermont Butterfly Atlas

The Blackpolls Are Here!

The Blackpoll Warblers have returned to Vermont, so this is the last call to get your ALL IN for Biodiversity gifts in! 

The first Blackpoll Warblers in Windsor County were spotted on May 10 by two early morning birders at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and check-listed on Vermont eBird.

We can’t wait to share some ALL IN for Biodiversity conservation impact stories with you in the coming weeks. Thank you to everyone who has contributed—you make this work possible. Stay tuned for the final fundraising totals from this campaign, to be announced in June!

Spring Field Notes Is Ready to Read!

Curious about what we're up to at VCE? Check out our bi-annual publication Field Notes! It features new research we're doing, volunteer spotlights, and content we don't share anywhere else.

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.