MEETINGS & BUTTERFLY WALKS

MEETINGS, BUTTERFLY WALKS & SPECIAL EVENTS

***Please note that we alternate Meetings and Butterfly Walks.***

VIEW ALL MEETINGS AND BUTTERFLY WALKS ON OUR CALENDAR.

2024 - 2025 Butterfly Walks and Chapter Meetings

Atala Chapter Meeting

Saturday, November 9, 2024

1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Colors in the Wind by Dr. Peter J. Lekos.

Meetings are free and open to the public.

Mounts Building Auditorium at Mounts Botanical Garden

531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Fl 33415

https://www.mounts.org

The Program: "Colors in the Wind" by Dr. Peter J. Lekos. Dr. Lekos is a former Associated Press sports photographer but also well known for his nature photography. He has won many photographic awards for nature photography, including ranking #4 as Nature Photographer in North America and #12 Nature Photographer in the World. Dr. Lekos is founder of the Audubon Society of the Everglades Photography Club and served as its president for five years. His butterfly program is a multi-media program combining art and science to explore all aspects of butterflies’ life cycle, the comeback of the “extinct” Atala and how to photograph butterflies. Dr. Lekos is a favorite return speaker for the Atala Chapter.

Atala Chapter Meeting

Saturday, January 25, 2025

1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Creating Butterfly Gardens for Biodiversity and Vibrant Landscapes by CJ McCartney

Meetings are free and open to the public

Mounts Auditorium

Mounts Botanical Garden

531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Fl 33415

The Program: "Creating Butterfly Gardens for Biodiversity and Vibrant Landscapes" by CJ McCartney. CJ will discuss “Transformational Intersection of Us and Butterflies - Creating Butterfly Gardens for Biodiversity and Vibrant Landscapes.” This talk explores the transformational intersection of us and our native wildlife and habitats. She will explore how to design a landscape, both in our yards and communities, using keystone plants and other important native plants for a safe, thriving habitat for all of us - butterflies, pollinators, and us. CJ is an Environmental Steward with training as a Master Gardener and studies in many botanical and horticulture classes, which supplement her formal education in Public Policy and Urban Management at Harvard University. Currently, she is the Master Gardener in Residence at Ann Norton Sculpture Garden, works with Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management (ERM) vouchering plants and leading outreach activities, and serves on several boards & gardening committees.

Atala Chapter Meeting

Saturday, May 17, 2025

1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

"On Your Marks! Get Ready for 2025 Butterfly Counts"

Meetings are free and open to the public

Mounts Auditorium

Mounts Botanical Garden

531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Fl 33415

The Program: "On Your Marks! Get Ready for 2025 Butterfly Counts" by Alana Edwards and Teri Jabour. Learn about the butterflies we see in Palm Beach County for our local butterfly counts! The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) annual 4th of July Butterfly Count is an important citizen science project to collect data about local butterfly species. The Atala Chapter has been doing butterfly counts in Palm Beach and Martin County since 1995. Chapter members will share their tips on how to identify local butterflies that we see in natural areas and in our yards. Being able to recognize the most common—and uncommon—butterflies will increase your enjoyment of butterfly watching as well as be an important part of this annual butterfly monitoring project. This program is for everyone! Not just counters! See past years count results

Butterfly Hike

Saturday, October 5, 2024

10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Seacrest Scrub Natural Area

3400 South Seacrest Blvd. (2 miles south of Woolbright Road), Boynton Beach, FL 33435

This butterfly hike is an Adopt A Natural Area program in partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM). Seacrest Scrub is 54 acres of coastal scrub, located on Palm Beach County’s ancient coastal dune ridge. It is dominated by slash pines, sand pines, myrtle oaks, and saw palmetto. There are many air plants and wildflowers, including endangered burrowing four o’clock, large-flowered rosemary, Feay’s palafox and milkpea. Gulf Fritillary, Horace’s Duskywing and Great Southern White butterflies have been seen there. There is common pawpaw so maybe a Zebra Swallowtail can be spotted! The Gopher Tortoise Trail (paved) 0.18 miles is handicap accessible, and Sand Pine Trail (sandy) 0.75 miles is easy walking with maintained trail. For more information about Seacrest Scrub Natural Area see: https://discover.pbcgov.org/erm/naturalareas/seacrest-scrub.aspx

Free but space limited. Register with PBC ERM (Registration opens September 18) at:

Adventure Awaits - Butterfly Hike Registration, Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

Or, email nabapalmbeach@gmail.com to register.

Wear walking shoes, bring hat, bug spray, sunscreen and drinking water.

Please note, there are no public facilities or drinking water.

Butterfly Hike

Saturday, April 5, 2025

10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Juno Dunes West

14501 South U.S. Highway 1, Juno Beach, FL

This butterfly walk is an Adopt A Natural Area program in partnership with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM). The Juno Dunes Natural Area includes both the oceanfront tract and the west tract. The natural area is 569 acres and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, across Highway 1. The hike begins on the paved 0.21 mile-Sawgrass Trail. The Scrub Oak Trail and Scrub Hickory Trails are over 2 miles and sandy. There is also a boardwalk through a sawgrass wetland. Diverse habitats, from mangroves along the shore to scrub and pine flatwoods, makes this natural area interesting for observing butterflies and birdwatching. Juno Dunes is part of the Great Florida Trail so you may see water birds as well as songbirds, raptors and warblers during migration. Some of the butterflies that have been seen there are Zebra Swallowtail, Statira Sulphur, Southern Dogface Sulphur, Viceroy, Southern Oak Hairstreak and many others!

Wear walking shoes (closed shoes are best), bring water, hat, sun protection and bug spray!

For more information about Juno Dunes Natural area see:

https://discover.pbcgov.org/erm/naturalareas/juno-dunes.aspx

Free but space limited. Register with PBC ERM at:

Adventure Awaits - Butterfly Hike Registration, Sat, April 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

Or, email nabapalmbeach@gmail.com to register.

Native Garden Tour

Palm Beach County Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society

in partnership with Audubon Everglades and NABA-Atala Chapter

Sunday, November 17, 2025, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Green Cay Wildlife Celebration

Saturday, December 7, 2024, 9.m. - 3 p.m.