Field Guide to October 2024
The month of October reminds us of the cyclical nature of life. Like spring, autumn is a season of change. The forested hills fade from summer emerald to a watercolor painting of red and gold and brown. Here’s your field guide to some moments that you might not otherwise notice during these few precious weeks that feature colored hills beneath a deep blue sky.
Terri Armata Receives VCE’s 2024 Julie Nicholson Community Science Award
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…
September 2024 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Craig Hunt for winning the September 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of a Ringed Assassin Bug (Pselliopus cinctus) approached by an Eastern Yellowjacket eceived the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Field Guide to September 2024
It can happen almost anywhere. On a cool, foggy morning, for example, when fall warblers drop from their nocturnal, migratory flights into your backyard, and clusters of Common Green Darners congregate on a nearby riverbank. Or along a mudflat some afternoon when you notice a Spotted Sandpiper teetering and then darting after prey. Or on some wooded trail when you spot the first ruby red leaves among late-summer’s faded green. Here is your field guide to life slowing down and on the move in September.
Weekly Reflections from a Summer at VCE
Working with VCE this summer has been immensely rewarding, seeing the animals I love in person and seeing how environmental disturbance affects them in real life. Birds hold a special place in my heart (I have a somewhat unattainable goal of seeing every species in North America before I die), and I’m proud to say I added 42 new birds to my Life List this summer.
August 2024 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Bernie Paquette for winning the August 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of an American Snout (Libytheana carinenta) butterfly he found at Mobbs Farm received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
July 2024 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Larry Clarfeld for winning the July 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of a Ghost Tiger Beetle (Ellipsoptera lepida) visiting a sheet at his moth light received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Pervasive Invasives: The Catch-22 of Grassland Management
In recent years, we’ve learned that delayed haying for bird conservation creates a dilemma. Fields can’t be cut when birds are nesting, but not cutting allows invasive plants to seed and spread freely.
My Summer in Species: Illustrated
This summer, I worked with VCE as an interdisciplinary intern. By being able to dip my toes into a little bit of everything, I got to learn first-hand that there are so many ways to be a scientist, and so many wonderful subjects to study.
Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve Visit
VCE has been busy this summer! In addition to asking cutting-edge ecological questions, we are also helping colleagues tackle their conservation problems. This summer, VCE conservation scientist Dr. Desiree Narango and the rest of the technician team have been helping Connecticut Audubon with a key wildlife preserve in Westport, Connecticut.
Searching for Butterflies: The West Virginia White
As VCE’s Spatial Science Intern, I spent my summer working with community science observations from several platforms, such as eButterfly and iNaturalist, to create a species distribution model for the West Virginia White in the state. This model incorporated bioclimatic variables and host-plant distributions to reveal areas within Vermont that may be suitable for these butterflies today and into the future.
24th BirdsCaribbean International Conference: Conversations and Celebrations
Last month, two VCE scientists and our Executive Director Emeritus spent over a week in the Dominican Republic for the 24th BirdsCaribbean International conference. While there, they packed their schedules, sharing ideas with colleagues, listening to fascinating discussions, leading workshops, and—in Chris Rimmer’s case—giving a keynote and receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
