Citizen Science: Bats, Butterflies and Moths—Oh My!

Need help identifying butterflies or moths? There’s an app for that! New as of July 2017, LepSnap is a free, community field guide that uses photos submitted by users. When you upload a butterfly or moth photo, LepSnap analyzes the image and suggests possible identifications that can be later verified by experts. The app further helps to organize your images and uses your images for documenting lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) biodiversity. How cool! At this time, LepSnap is only available for Apple platforms, but they are almost done with their Android version. So, stay tuned!

Got bats? If you have a bat colony roosting on your property, we want to know! As you may know, many of our local bat populations have been in decline due to the devastating white-nose syndrome. In Maryland, species such as the tri-colored bat and little brown bat have dramatically declined. Our biologists are interested in learning more about where bats spend their time, so we have created a reporting form for folks to enter in data from local bat roosts.

Fall Habitat Tip: Leave the leaves! Leaf litter provides habitat for all sorts of beneficial invertebrates, as well as shelter for eggs, larvae, pupae and even adult butterflies. Leaf litter also helps replenish soil nutrients.

Author’s Note

Sincerely,
Kerry Wixted

Also in This Issue:
Backyard Wildlife Fun: Tracks!
Citizen Science: Bats, Butterflies and Moths
Fall Seed Sowing
Fueling Fall Pollinators
Native Plant Profile: Persimmon
Native Wildlife: Virginia Opossum

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