Join Vermont Center for Ecostudies at Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge for an insect-focused BioBlitz! You can join us for the entirety of the BioBlitz or any part of the day, whichever works best for you. Throughout the day, we will have guided searches for different focal taxa.
8 AM to 10 AM: Morning Birding
Join Nathaniel Sharp for a guided bird walk. We will meet at: Stephen J. Young Marsh parking lot at 8 am. Bring your binoculars and/or a camera!
10 AM – 12 PM: Insect walks.
We will meet at Black/Maquam Creek Trail (44.944498,-73.151048). At this point, we will break into three groups, each with a different leader. Groups will walk and survey together, focusing on specific taxa, for 30 minutes. The entire group will reconnect after 30 minutes to rotate group leaders. Below are the following leaders and taxa groups:
● Nathaniel Sharp: Dragonflies and Damselflies
● Spencer Hardy: Focused on wild bees, adding to an on-going inventory effort on the refuge. Other taxa of interest include wasps and fungi.
● Julia Pupko: Julia’s group will focus on searching for lady beetles, which will contribute data to the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas and the 2022 Lady Beetle BioBlitz.
12 PM – 12:30 PM: Lunch Break.
12:45 PM – 3 PM:
We will meet at Stephen J. Young Marsh Trail off Tabor Rd (44.954103, -73.205125). We will have 3 rotating groups as listed above. If you attended the morning session, you may join whichever group you would like. If you are just arriving, you will have the opportunity to rotate through our 3 group leaders, as listed above. What to bring:
a. Lunch, sunscreen, bug spray, tick protective gear, and lots of water.
b. Bring if you have: insect net, clear container for photographing insects, camera/phone/iPod with camera, and binoculars.
To register, click here.