Volunteers are needed to help with the annual South Lake Butterfly Count on July 20 with the Tahoe Institute of Natural Science.
In 2010, TINS initiated an annual butterfly count, centered on Osgood Swamp and encompassing much of the southern Tahoe basin. The goals of the counts are to gather data to monitor butterfly populations; give butterfly enthusiasts a chance to socialize and have fun; and to increase public awareness and interest in butterflies and butterfly conservation needs, according to TINS.
Experts from around the state have joined the Tahoe count, and more experienced butterfly enthusiasts will be assigned to cover various portions of the count circle, either solo or in small teams. All are welcome, however.
Anyone interested in participating, should contact Will Richardson at will@tinsweb.org. For more information, visit https://www.tinsweb.org/butterfly-counts-2.
Odonates Mini-blitz
As, volunteers are needed to help TINS for a fun day exploring dragonflies as part of its annual Odonates Mini-blitz on Aug. 3
Odonates are members of the insect order Odonata, comprising dragonflies and damselflies. The greater Tahoe region hosts about 55 species, including a few that are strictly migratory or occur as vagrants. Each year, TINS sponsors instead an Odes Mini-blitz: to document the odonate fauna of the Tahoe region; identify locations with high odonate diversity or hosting unique or rare species; and have fun, according to TINS.
Some of the discoveries from these events have been quite significant. In 2011, TINS documented the intergeneric copulation between two dragonflies at Grass Lake. In 2021, TINS rediscovered Spiny Baskettails in the Donner Lake area, a population that had not been seen since 1914.
Anyone interested in participating, should contact Will Richardson at will@tinsweb.org. For more information, visit https://www.tinsweb.org/odonates.
