Program and Event Descriptions:

13th ANNUAL LOUDOUN COUNTY BUTTERFLY COUNT ― Saturday, August 1, 9:00 a.m.  Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on its thirteenth Annual Butterfly Count, centered in the Waterford area.  No experience is necessary; novices will be teamed with experienced leaders in each segment of the count.  Come out and have fun while contributing to butterfly conservation.  Counters will visit various locations that include butterfly gardens, sanctuaries, roadside wildflower and grassy areas and parks. We typically count over 2,000 butterflies in this single day and can get up to 50 different species. Our count circle stretches from White’s Ferry in the east to the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in the west to Point of Rocks and south to Lincoln. Please bring a lunch and water. Binoculars are also helpful. For more information or to register and receive directions, please Sign Up online or contact Nicole Hamilton at nhamilton@loudounwildlife.org

BIRDING BANSHEE ― Saturday, August 8, 8:00 a.m. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve for the monthly bird walk. Because of its rich and varied habitat, this part of the county is a birding hot spot. Please bring binoculars. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

FROG CALLS: AN EVENING AT BLES PARK ― Saturday, August 8, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Registration Required. Come on out for a froggy night at Bles Park. As we gather in the parking area, we’ll start the class with an informal discussion of the different types of frogs that are known to live at Bles Park, look at photos of these different animals and listen to recordings of their calls. We’ll talk about interesting facts about their breeding and non-breeding periods and the different strategies they use to survive. As dusk pushes on, we’ll head out to trails, listen to the different calls and practice our identification. At least 5 species of frogs live at Bles and we will hope to hear all of them and perhaps encounter some others yet to be discovered. Please bring a flashlight or headlamp as well as a chair to sit on. Bles Park is located at 44830 Riverside Parkway. Registration is required as we’re limiting the class size to just 15 participants. Please Sign Up online or contact Nicole Hamilton at nhamilton@loudounwildlife.org. 

BUTTERFLIES AT THE BLUE RIDGE CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ― Saturday, August 15, 9:00 a.m. to noon.  Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on a butterfly walk at this beautiful 900-acre preserve in northwestern Loudoun County.  We should see butterflies using the late summer wildflowers.  The Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship is located on Harpers Ferry Road, Rte 671, a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers.  Meet at the Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m.  Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org

BIRDING THE BLUE RIDGE CENTER ― Saturday, August 22, 8:00 a.m. On the fourth Saturday of each month (except December) the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy leads a bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES). This beautiful 900-acre preserve is located on Harpers Ferry Road, Rt. 671, in northwestern Loudoun County. Only a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, the property includes meadows in the valley and heavily forested slopes on the Blue Ridge. Meet at the visitor center. The Blue Ridge Center is located just north of Neersville, at 11611 Harpers Ferry Road (Rt 671). Detailed directions can be found on the website, www.brces.org. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

MONARCH MOVIE NIGHT ― Sunday, August 23, 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Ashburn Library. Join us for an afternoon learning about monarch butterflies and possibly take a Monarch home! We’ll start by watching a short film, The Butterfly King, which talks us through the lifecycle of the monarch from egg to caterpillar to butterfly, discusses the hazards that they face in the milkweed patch, and daily dramas that play out right in our own backyards and roadsides. The Butterfly King is great for kids and is just twenty minutes long. Following the film, we’ll take a look at some live monarch chrysalides. Handouts for gardening for butterflies, setting up a Monarch Waystation and raising and releasing Monarchs will be provided. This is a great program for families. The Ashburn Library is located at 43316 Hay Road in Ashburn. Questions, please contact Nicole Hamilton at nhamilton@loudounwildlife.org.

VISIT US AT THE LUCKETTS FAIR ― Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Visit us at our booth at the Lucketts Fair! You'll find us set up once again in Mrs. Lucketts' Garden. We'll have various free information and booklets for you to take and will be hosting a raffle of a special nature book. We'll be talking about Loudoun natture and wild places! We're happy to answer any of your questions about our programs and activities as well as general nature questions. If you've been wanting to pick up a LWC t-shirt or hat, we'll have those for sale. For more information about the fair, check their website: http://www.luckettsfair.com/

TIPS ON HOW TO LEAD A NATURE WALK CLASS AND FIELD SESSION ― Saturday, August 29, 9:00 a.m. - noon, at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship. Registration Required.   Join Naturalist, Phil Daley as he teaches a class on how to lead and/or co-lead a walk and then takes us out into the field for a demonstration walk.   Phil will provide insights, ideas, and guidance for potential walk leaders.  He will also discuss the “to do and not to do” aspects for leading a successful walk.  To register Sign Up online or contact Phil Daley at 540-338-6528 or pdaley@loudounwildlife.org.