North Worcester County Butterfly Count (7/9)

When this time of year rolls around, its time for butterfly counts. It can be challenging since you have to spend the entire day in the field during the hottest part of the summer. But the people are nice and it is a good way to collect data which can show species population trends.

The participants in the counts break up into smaller groups so that they can cover more ground. My group's territory was Sterling. We had several sites to cover, some of which had a good deal of activity... others that didn't.

Our final list was pretty good: 23 different species. The highlights were the high count of Monarchs (who really seem to have bounced back nicely from their low numbers the past few years), a few Appalacian Browns, and one Baltimore Checkerspot. The last species was a total surprise. We found it in an area where we hadn't found them before. It was resting amonst the Milkweed and Swamp Candles.

Other than the nice butterflies, we did have one outstanding wildlife encounter. While searching a small stream for the Browns, we spooked a River Otter. It flipped around and swam away before I could react but it still was a graet find.