MDC to offer in-person and virtual class on butterfly surveys May 17 in Blue Springs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a hybrid course on surveying butterfly populations, offered both virtually and in-person at Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. The course will cover butterfly ecology and how to survey for them. The in-person class is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. The virtual course is from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. on the same day.

The in-person class is open to participants ages 14 and older. Registration is required. To register, visit https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/206813. The virtual class is open to participants ages 10 and older. To register, visit https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/206811.

Participants may choose to put their knowledge into action by becoming a Missouri Butterfly Monitoring Network volunteer. The class will include a slide show about 25 common butterflies and instruction on how surveys are done with an online Wild About Pollinators trivia game to follow. The in-person course will also include a mock butterfly survey using the Burr Oak Woods garden and natural areas. Instructors will explain how to enter data on a website and help participants choose a monitoring route on a public natural area.

This is the seventh annual training in the Kansas City area for the Missouri Butterfly Monitoring Network. The network is hosted by Georgetown University with grants from the National Science Foundation.

Some butterfly species, such as the monarch, have been in decline due to habitat loss and environmental problems. Science-based conservation is working to boost pollinators such as butterflies. People wanting to become citizen scientists or who are simply interested in learning more about butterflies are both invited to take the course.

For more information about butterflies in Missouri, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4Qt.