Newsfeed
Welcome to the Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas (2023-2027) Field Season!
April 25, 2024Spring is finally here, and already this year atlas volunteers have found 10 species of butterflies signaling the start of our second atlas field season. Join the atlas and help us learn how Vermont butterfly populations are changing. Thank you to returning volunteers for adopting a survey block last year and big welcome to any new or interested volunteers.
Conservation Coffee Hour: Interview with Spencer Hardy about Vermont’s Wild Bees
March 7, 2024Join VCE Executive Director Susan Hindinger and VCE bee biologist Spencer Hardy for insights into Vermont’s bee diversity. Together, they will discuss key takeaways from the 2022 State of Vermont’s Wild Bees report and explore its conservation impacts in Vermont and beyond.
Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist Project Celebrated 10th Anniversary in 2023 by Surpassing 1 Million Records
January 10, 2024In 2023 thousands of iNaturalists added over 200,000 biodiversity records to the rapidly growing database of life in Vermont, helping us surpass 1 million records during our 10-year anniversary. Read about all the amazing discoveries and more.
Bumblebee Photographed in Backyard is a New Species for Vermont
August 23, 2023It took a photo, a drawing, a naturalist’s boundless curiosity, and bee experts from across the nation for Vermont to claim a new bumblebee species for the state last week.
New Native Bee Species Discovered for Vermont
July 17, 2023A mystery red bee visiting an uncommon willow tree in bloom becomes Vermont’s latest native bee species discovery by biologist Spencer Hardy.
e-Butterfly Goes Global
June 5, 2023Thanks to the collaboration of an international team of biologists, entomologists, and computer systems specialists, the e-Butterfly.org platform now offers high-performance tools allowing citizens everywhere to help inventory butterflies around the world.
After Two Decades of Searching a Rare Butterfly is Discovered during the Vermont Butterfly Atlas
June 5, 2023A rare and elusive butterfly has been discovered for the first time in Vermont, flying this spring at one of the state’s protected natural areas. Bog Elfin, patterned in brown and rust, and no bigger than a penny, had eluded detection in the state until one flew past a Vermont field biologist who had been searching for it for two decades.
Vermonters Invited to Help Search for Butterflies
March 27, 2023Vermonters now have another excuse to get outside on sunny days: to join a statewide survey of the most angelic insects—butterflies. VAL is recruiting volunteers to help search fields and fens, mountains and meadows, and even their own backyards to help document the status of Vermont’s butterflies.
Vermont Birders Rally During 12th Annual eBird County Quest
February 22, 2023With another banner birding year in the books, it’s time to look back on all that Vermont birders have accomplished in 2022. From the Northeast Kingdom to the Massachusetts border, from the Connecticut River valley to the Champlain valley, Vermont’s vast birding community once again took part in the Vermont eBird County Quest. In its 12th year, this event continued to bolster Vermont’s enormous database of bird sightings all in the spirit of friendly competition.
New Vermont ‘Bee Team’ to Tackle Pollinator Threats
February 6, 2023A new Vermont Pollinator Working Group will protect bees and other pollinators by targeting harmful pesticide use, while helping Vermont farmers to get to know the pollinators buzzing around their crops.
iNaturalists Helped the Vermont Atlas of Life Build Biodiversity Big Data in 2022
January 19, 2023In 2022 thousands of iNaturalists added over 202,000 biodiversity records to the rapidly growing database of life in Vermont. Read about all the discoveries and more.
New Butterfly Species Recorded for Vermont on iNaturalist
December 14, 2022In October iNaturalist user James McNamara photographed a European Peacock Butterfly in a garden and reported it the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist marking the first state record for this species.
