Take a butterfly tour with Wild Ones
Join the Northern Kane County Wild Ones for a two-session event on June 25 and 27. Doug Taron, curator of biology and vice president of conservation and research at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, will be the presenter.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at Christ the Lord Lutheran Church, 12N462 Tina Trail, Elgin.
His talk explores the butterfly species of northeastern Illinois, their life cycles and ecology, with special emphasis on the relationship between caterpillar food plants and habitat. He uses digital images to showcase local species from urban environments, prairies, wetlands and woodlands, and to document regional butterfly conservation efforts by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago.
As part of his duties, Taron manages Butterfly Haven, the only permanent, year-round exhibit of live butterflies in Illinois. He is active in butterfly conservation research in the Midwest and is currently breeding swamp metalmarks, regal and silver-bordered fritillaries, and Baltimore checkerspots in the lab.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, Taron will lead a tour of Bluff Spring Fen to see butterflies in particular, but also explore the beautiful landscape of the fen.
From I-90, take Route 25 to the southern end of Elgin. After the intersection with Route 20, turn east onto Bluff City Boulevard. The well-marked main entrance to the cemetery is on the south side of the road. Once in the cemetery, continue on the curving entrance road (Lawndale Avenue, which becomes Dell Avenue) until you reach the parking lot on the southern edge of the cemetery.
As there is limited parking near the fen, anyone interested can meet at Christ the Lord Lutheran Church at 9:30 a.m. for carpooling.
For information, call (847) 741-8141 or email nkwildones@gmail.com. Visit www.northernkanecounty.wildones.org or www.facebook.com/NKWildones.
On July 23, Zoe Mei and Olivia Rose Rudd will discuss the Monarch butterfly's life cycle, how to raise Monarch butterflies and how to create a butterfly-friendly habitat in an hourlong presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 28 Brookside Drive in Elgin. They have raised thousands of butterflies since 2006 and will share their accumulated knowledge with others who are interested in helping the Monarchs. Depending on availability, their presentation will include milkweed seeds, milkweed plants, Monarch butterfly eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis and butterflies. They will have chrysalis available for purchase. Time permitting, they will also go on an egg hunt around the nature center.