Butterflies & Bugs ~ at the Nature House August 19th

Mark Your Calendars for upcoming nature house event

Butterflies and Bugs - August 19

Don't know a swallowtail from a skipper?  A dasher from a darner?  Join biologist Patrick Lilley as he leads a walk through the forests and fields around the Portal in search of Thetis Island's largest and most colourful insects; the butterflies and dragonflies.  He'll talk about some of butterfly and dragonfly species found on Thetis, their life cycles, and their habitat needs.  Together, you'll learn how to catch, handle, and identify some of them.  Patrick will also talk about how you can improve habitat for butterflies and dragonflies on your property and why you might want to do so.  He'll also introduce some of the great resources out there for those who want to learn more.  Bring your butterfly net, a pair of binoculars, and a field guide if you have them!  (Don't worry if you don't---he'll bring some to share too.)

Patrick is a professional biologist and conservationist who grew up spending his summers on Thetis Island.  He comes back to visit as often as he can.  Trained as a plant ecologist, he developed an interest in butterflies (and now dragonflies) because of their close relationships with plants and some of BC's rarest ecosystems.  Over the last decade, Patrick has worked on the conservation of several rare BC butterflies, including the endangered Taylor's Checkerspot butterfly.  Much of this work has been on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.  He was also involved in initiating the BC Butterfly Atlas, a community-based citizen science project aimed at increasing our knowledge of the status and distribution of butterflies in British Columbia.