Since her time as a neophyte butterfly watcher during the first Vermont atlas in 2002, Terri Armata has seen nearly every butterfly species known for Vermont. She has also documented four species new to the state on her way to becoming one of Vermont’s most ardent butterfly experts.
“I remember receiving a letter announcing the first butterfly atlas, and it interested me immensely,” Terri recalled. “What better way to spend time outdoors and contribute a bit to science?” She took on the atlas and immersed herself in butterflies, contributing nearly 1,000 records to the effort. Today, she has tallied thousands of butterfly checklists on our e-Butterfly platform and helped many other community science volunteers with more than 11,000 identifications, too.
Terri might have been new to butterflies in 2002 but not to science and nature. She grew up in the heart of the northern Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts with Mt. Greylock dominating the western skyline. She spent her childhood wandering woodlots and fields, picking wild berries with her sisters and brothers.
Terri fondly remembers her father asking “Who wants to go mushrooming?” on summer Sundays after brunch. “We would jump up, go to the garage, and select a ‘mushrooming stick’ (branches that dad had cut and trimmed into walking sticks of various lengths), and set off down the road with him toward the woods.” They searched for mushrooms in the Boletus family, as those were what her Polish grandparents knew from the old country. “This mushroom hunting taught me to look closely, move slowly, and crouch quietly to see the mushrooms under the leaves,” noted Terri.
In addition to participating in both the First and Second Vermont Butterfly Atlases and e-Butterfly, Terri regularly contributes to eBird, iNaturalist, and Mission Monarch. For a few years she completed the annual USGS Breeding Bird Survey in North Pownal each June. She is a counter for the Putney Mountain Hawkwatch and the site coordinator for the East Adams Hawkwatch where she grew up. And in the spring, you might also find her surveying for the Vermont Vernal Pool Atlas!
“I love being outdoors and learning more about the plants and animals around us,” said Terri. “I have been retired since 2016 and now have freedom to spend time both enjoying myself and adding in a small way to what we know about the natural world. Community science projects provide valuable data that can be used to shape actions to preserve ecosystems.”
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching butterflies with Terri, you know her passion, excitement, and love for sharing butterflies with others. She’s led butterfly walks at places like Merck Forest and Farmland Center, Hildene, and for the Bennington Section of the Green Mountain Club, and she hopes to lead more in the future.
“VCE has been instrumental in igniting my passion for nature through community science projects, newsletters, blogs, and field trips,” said Terri. “I want to continue to learn more about raptors, butterflies, moths, and more. I hope to be out there in the field exploring this wonderful state and working with great organizations like VCE as long as I can!”
Terri Armata’s contributions to better understanding the conservation status of Vermont’s wildlife (especially butterflies) have been extraordinary—and for this, the staff and board of VCE are proud to present Terri with the 2024 Julie Nicholson Community Science Award.
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The Julie Nicholson Community Science Award honors Julie Nicholson’s extraordinary passion and commitment to birds and wildlife conservation through her many years of tireless work as a community scientist. It is presented annually to an individual who exemplifies Julie’s dedication to the cause of community science and conservation.
