Program and Event Descriptions:

14th Annual Butterfly Count― Saturday, August 7, 9:00 a.m.  Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on its fourteenth 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. There's a $3 fee per adult that we pass through to the North American Butterfly Association to help with their data compilation. This fee is waived for LWC members as a member benefit. 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 14, 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.

Dragonflies at Banshee Reeks ― Sunday, August 22, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon.  Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for one of our free, family dragonfly walks.  We will investigate some of the many diverse natural areas at Banshee Reeks and identify all of the dragonflies we can find.  If you own binoculars, please bring them.  Questions: contact Andy Rabin at stylurus@gmail.com.

Birding the Blue Ridge Center ― Saturday, August 28, 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.

Visit Us at the Lucketts Fair ― Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29, 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 nature and wild places and have some cool nature exhibits to learn more about our local wildlife! 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 too. For more information about the fair, check their website: http://www.luckettsfair.com/