The BioBlitz Schedule of Events

The BioBlitz will feature free public nature walks and lectures from scientists and skilled naturalists. Here’s your chance to learn about everything from ferns to fungi, bats to butterflies. All walks and lectures will be held at the North Branch Nature Center unless otherwise noted. (Times are subject to change; a final schedule will be available at the BioBlitz.) Details on each nature walk or lecture are included below.

Friday, July 11th
Noon - Registration begins
2:30pm - Introductory remarks
3:00pm - BioBlitzing Officially Begins                
8:30pm - Firefly Flight of Fancy: Lecture and Walk with Bryan Pfeiffer
9:00pm - Moonlit Moths: Lecture and Walk with Jim Hedbor
9:00pm - Going Batty: Bat Banding Demonstration with Scott Darling
9:00pm - Spider Search: Nature Walk with Joe Warfel
9:30pm - Creatures of the Night: Infrared Camera Demonstration with Snell Infrared 

Saturday, July 12th
9am-3pm - Kid’s Tent: Nature Activities for the Young at Heart!
9:30am - Basic Botany Walk
9:30am - Birding for Beginners: Bird Walk with Maeve Kim
10:00am - Life in the River: Aquatic Invertebrate Walk with Doug Burnham and Steve Fiske
10:00am - “Herban” Weed Walk with Betzy Bancroft (meets downtown)
10:00am - Got Gall? Demonstration with Susan Sawyer
11:00am - BioBlitz the Statehouse Property
12:30pm - Climate Change and Biodiversity: Lecture by Andrew Johnston
12:30pm - Jewels with Wings: Butterfly Walk with Mary Beth Prondzinkski
1:00pm - Fun with Fungi: Mushroom Walk with Larry Millman
1:00pm - The Truly Tremendous Tardigrade: Lecture by William Miller
1:30pm - Zounds What Sounds! Animal Sounds Demonstration with MarthaLeah Chaiken
1:30pm - Bugs Abound: Insect Walk with Mary Burnham
2:00pm - Dragonflies for Dummies: Walk with Bryan Pfeiffer
2:00pm - Scintillating Centipedes: Lecture by Randy Mercurio

Friday, July 11th

8:30pm: Firefly Flight of Fancy: Lecture and Walk with Bryan Pfeiffer
That flicker and sparkle on summer nights is the language of fireflies. In a short lecture, we'll learn about the flight and flash of these amazing insects. Then we'll head out into the field (mayonnaise jars and nets optional) to discover more than one kind of firefly and to watch one of nature's greatest displays. This walk is for kids and adults. When he's not chasing birds, butterflies or dragonflies, our guide, Bryan Pfeiffer, stays up way too late trying to understand fireflies.

9:00pm: Moonlit Moths: Lecture and Walk with Jim Hedbor
Discover the incredible diversity of Vermont’s moths on a moonlit walk with Jim Hedbor. Jim, who has studied moths and butterflies in Vermont and elsewhere for nearly 50 years, will share a short presentation on moth diversity and take us on a tour of bait stations in search of underwings, owlets and other beauties of the night. Financial planner by day, moth enthusiast by night, Jim is a co-author of the Vermont Checklist of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and is working on his Vermont collection, now over 1,200 species.

9:00pm: Bat Banding Demonstration with Scott Darling
Glimpse the nocturnal world of the bat with Scott Darling, wildlife biologist and bat specialist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Scott will demonstrate how he catches, identifies and tags bats. Come find out what bat species inhabit the North Branch Nature Center, surrounding parks and even downtown.

9:00pm: Spider Search: Nighttime Nature Walk with Joe Warfel
We’ll set out on a nightime walk to find spiders. Joe Warfel is a naturalist and photographer specializing in arachnids and insects. A member of American, British and international arachnological societies, Joe's photography has been featured at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, MCZ Harvard and others. Bring a flashlight!

9:30pm: Creatures of the Night:  Infrared Camera Demonstration with Snell Infrared
Ever wonder what critters are active when most people are snug in the homes? John Snell of Snell Infrared will demonstrate the use of infrared sensing cameras to find various creatures of the night.  

Saturday, July 12th

9:30am: Basic Botany Walk
Joint a field botanist for a leisurely walk to identify ferns, trees and most anything green and growing.

9:30am: Birding for Beginners: Bird Walk with Maeve Kim
Join birder Maeve Kim for a casual stroll around the North Branch Nature Center, learning how to identify birds by sight and sound. Get familiar with using binoculars and field guides on this easy walk. Maeve has been birding for decades but still gets excited about all the birds around us!

10:00am: Life in the River: Aquatic Invertebrates Walk (and Wade) with Doug Burnham and Steve Fiske
What’s lurking under the rocks of the North Branch of the Winooski? Discover the world of hellgrammites and mayflies on this aquatic foray with entomologists Doug Burnham and Steve Fiske. Doug and Steve are aquatic biologists with the state Department of Environmental Conservation with a combined 60+ years experience studying the aquatic biota of Vermont.

10:00am: “Herban” Weed Walk with Betzy Bancroft (leaving from info booth downtown)
Plants grow in the tiniest corners of disturbed soil, even in downtown Montpelier. Find out the edible and medicinal uses of those "weeds" along the sidewalks and wild niches the City. You'll be amazed! Meet at the info booth on State Street, between the Farmer's Market parking lot and the Church. Betzy Bancroft is a co-director and faculty of the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in Montpelier.

10:00am: Got Gall? Demonstration by Susan Sawyer
Explore the curious world of the gall with Susan Sawyer. Galls occur on many plants and house interesting insects that largely go unnoticed. Come find out what lives in those strange bumps and swellings on so many plants. Susan is a naturalist educator with Four Winds Nature Institute, an accomplished artist and a fountain of knowledge about the natural world.

11:00am: BioBlitz the Statehouse Grounds in One Hour
Naturalists will converge in front of the Statehouse to survey the property for all signs of life! With your help we’ll scour the surrounding lawns and forest for all creatures great and small in this one-hour Blitz within the BioBlitz.

12:30pm: Climate Change and Biodiversity: Lecture by Andrew Johnston
Different communities of living things can be found in areas of different temperature and precipitation patterns. As these patterns change, some organisms will thrive but others may disappear. In this talk, learn how scientists understand the changing climate and the impact it will have on Vermont's biodiversity.  Andrew Johnston is a geographer with the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

12:30pm: Jewels with Wings: Butterfly Walk with Mary Beth Prondzinkski
Checkerspots, wood-nymphs and azures await you on this stroll around the Nature Center in search of butterflies. Mary Beth is an avid birder and naturalist, with an eclectic education and research background. Mary Beth Prondzinski hails from the Fairbanks Museum via The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where she worked in the Zoology Department in a variety of capacities.

1:00pm: The Truly Tremendous Tardigrade:  Lecture on a Microscopic Animal in a Visual World with William Miller
What creature can live in a hotspring, survive in a vacuum and even withstand the pressure in a deep sea drench? The incredible tardigrade or water bear! William Miller, Assistant Professor of Biology at Baker University in Kansas, has been studying tardigrades since 1966. He has hunted tardigrades in China, Australia, Greenland, and the Amazon, not to mention all over North America, and has described five species new to science.

1:00pm: Fun with Fungi: Mushroom Walk with Larry Millman
Join Larry Millman for a mycological exploration in search of mushrooms and other assorted fungi. Larry is a prolific travel writer and has made 30 trips and expeditions to the Arctic and Subarctic, and even discovered a previously unknown lake in Borneo. Best of all, perhaps, he has a mountain named after him outside Angmagssalik, East Greenland.

1:30pm: Zounds What Sounds! Identifying Animal by Sound Demonstration with MarthaLeah Chaiken
A fascinating demonstration on animal sounds – of birds, insects, frogs and more. Learn how animal sounds can be captured and displayed in sound spectrograms, and even “see” your own voice displayed. MarthaLeah Chaiken studies how birds learn to sing and has a Ph.D. from the late Institute of Animal Behavior at Rutgers University.

1:30pm: Bugs Abound: Insect Walk with Mary Burnham
A walk in the park (Hubbard Park) with Mary Burnham to check special insect collecting traps. Discover the secret world of bark beetles, as well as long-horned beetles, carrion beetles, flies and who knows what else! Mary is an entomological lab technician for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and an avid birder and insect enthusiast. 

2:00pm: Scintillating Centipedes: Lecture on Northeastern Centipedes with Randy Mercurio
A fascinating look at the different types of centipedes found in Vermont, their basic anatomy, and their ecological importance as top invertebrate predators. Randy Mercurio has worked with the American Museum of Natural History in New York as a Scientific Assistant in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology where he did research primarily on scorpions. His interest in centipedes is a lifelong hobby.

2:00pm: Dragonflies for Dummies with Bryan Pfeiffer
Dragonflies are among our most glittering and fascinating insects. They patrol, hunt, eat, fight, and mate in wetlands, rivers, lakes. You can watch the dragonfly drama unfold during this walk at BioBlitz Central with entomologist Bryan Pfeiffer. When he's not chasing birds, butterflies or fireflies, Bryan is a state and regional authority on dragonflies.