Hello Master Naturalists,
We would love to have you join us for the 17th Annual Brazos Bend Butterfly Count on Sunday, October 7, 2012. Meet at the 40-acre Lake parking lot at 9:00 am.
Everyone is invited and no experience is required. Beginners will be paired with experienced counters. The extra eyes are very helpful and it is a fun way to learn to identify our local butterflies.
This citizen science project is one of several annual butterfly counts in the Houston area (and many more nationwide). Participants divide into small groups and patrol areas within BBSP and vicinity counting all species and individual butterflies they see. We gather at the Elm Lake picnic ground at 12:30 to tally our preliminary results and eat our sack lunches. Those who wish to count in the afternoon, patrol other areas inside and outside the park within the official 15-mile count circle and email their results to us.
Bring lunch, drinking water, mosquito repellant, sun protection, and (if you have them) butterfly field guides and close-focusing binoculars. Cameras are also helpful to assist in identification. There is a $3.00 per person North American Butterfly Association fee to participate. The Park entry fee will be waived for participants who stop at headquarters and identify themselves as participants in the count.
Our first count in 1995 tallied 392 butterflies of 30 species. The record count of 2001 found 5340 butterflies of 57 species. Last year, in spite of the extreme drought, we saw 166 individuals of 24 species, including significant numbers of Gulf Fritillaries, Little Yellows, Common Buckeyes and Southern Broken-dashes.
For additional information contact us at richj@consolidated.net .
Rich & Sandy Jespersen