Photo: Monarch, Elaine Mills

When: Thursday, August 20, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: VIRTUAL!
Fee: $5 members, $7 non-members

The sight of butterflies fluttering around on a warm day is one of the most iconic signs of summer. These beautiful insects usually only live for a few weeks as adults, but they make quite an impression while they are in their full glory. There is a large variety of butterfly species in our area. Dr. Leslie Ries will focus on identifying the 20 most common butterflies in Northern Virginia. Participants will then be instructed on how to conduct a survey at home or in their neighborhood and upload data to eButterfly.

Instructor: Leslie Ries is an ecologist who focuses on patterns at both medium and large scales. She has worked in the fields of landscape ecology and biogeography with a focus mainly on butterflies. Her current research looks at large-scale patterns.

UPDATE: Due to circumstances beyond our control, Dr. Ries is not available to join us for the presentation on August 20. 

We are thrilled that her associate Dr. Elise Larsen will be stepping in. Elise is a post-doctoral associate at the Ries Lab of Butterfly Infomatics. Her interests include ecology, population dynamics, phenology, and disturbance. She is especially fascinated by butterfly dynamics, currently focusing on traits such as color and lifespan.