The Middle Peninsula Master Naturalist chapter sponsored a North American Butterfly Association butterfly count on Saturday, Aug. 28.
The NABA Butterfly Count Program has been held annually since 1975, but this was the first count to be held on the Middle Peninsula including parts of Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex and King and Queen counties. The purpose of the count was to conduct a one-day census of all butterflies observed within a 15-mile diameter circle.
Thirty-three volunteers from four Virginia Master Naturalist chapters, and others participated in the inaugural count. A total of 1,722 butterflies was counted in the four-county area, with 48 different species of butterflies identified.
Volunteers visited public parks and over 60 private properties and businesses to count the butterflies. According to the Butterfly Society of Virginia, many of the species identified in the area have not been documented and these sightings will help to verify the rec- ords. Data from the count was...