Field Guide to May 2020
The month of May is a show-off. Grass glows green under blue skies. Woodland wildflowers break out of the ground and demand attention. Trees flower and leaves burst from long-dormant buds. Songbirds arrive on southern night winds and liven the dawn with a chorus of song. May shouts of life and rejuvenation. Here’s a few bits of natural history for your May days.
From Panama to the Arctic, a New eButterfly Takes Flight
An international team of biologists and software engineers, including VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life, has collaborated on an ambitious expansion of the eButterfly platform, offering scientists and naturalists powerful new tools to track and help conserve butterflies from Central America to the far reaches of the Arctic.
Outdoor Radio: Red-winged Blackbirds Signal the Arrival of Spring
In this episode of Outdoor Radio, on a cold spring day as they listen to songs and calls of male Red-winged Blackbirds setting up and guarding their breeding territories. Learn about their interesting mating system and other natural history and then get out and watch them near you.
April 2020 Photo-observation of the Month: American Woodcock
Congratulations to Roy Pilcher for winning the April 2020 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month.
Join the Vermont Spring Backyard BioBlitz on iNaturalist
Discover the natural world right at home! Though we may be physically distanced this season, we’re still a united community of curious nature lovers and naturalists. From April 20th through May 20th, we invite you to join the Vermont Spring Backyard BioBlitz!
Discover the Bees in Your Backyard this Spring
Spencer Hardy, VCE’s Vermont Wild Bee Survey Project Coordinator, shares a video from the field, and how you can get involved in the Vermont Wild Bee Survey.
Ready and Waiting for Grassland Birds
VCE’s Grassland Bird Outreach team is ready and waiting for the return of grassland birds this spring.
Join Our Spring Wildflower Phenology Annotation Blitz!
Long-term flowering records initiated by Henry David Thoreau in 1852 have been used in Massachusetts to monitor phenological changes. You can be like Thoreau right from home! There are thousands of images of plants that observers like you have added to the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist. But, they have not been annotated so that we can easily track phenology.
Updated for 2020: State of the Mountain Birds Report
The 2020 State of the Mountains Bird Report has landed… on the web. With this evolving report, we try to answer one seemingly simple question: What is the state of the mountain birds of the northeastern United States? Read on to find out.
Checking in: April Update on VCE’s COVID-19 Response
VCE’s Executive Director Chris Rimmer checks in with a COVID-19 operational update.
March 2020 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to coleen61 for winning the March 2020 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. The image of the rare Crested Caracara that made an appearance this month in Woodstock, Vermont won the adoration of naturalists this month.
Field Guide to April
In April, the northern forest is laid bare with cold desire and our long dormant senses awaken. Here’s our guide to some of the joys of April.
