Capture Coastal Butterflies on April 25

Are you looking for an outdoor activity? Contribute to scientific knowledge and get some fresh air by participating in the Coastal Georgia Butterfly Count on April 25.

The day-long event, sponsored by Coastal Wildscapes, will help document the presence of butterflies in 11 coastal Georgia counties, including Chatham County.

Head outside with your cell phone and take a picture of any butterfly, caterpillar, or butterfly egg you see. Then submit your photos via the free iNaturalist app, one of the most popular apps for identifying plants and animals.

Coastal Wildscapes, based in Darien, GA, is a nonprofit dedicated to helping residents learn about the coastal environment and the need to preserve the biodiversity of the Georgia coast. Connect with the Coastal Wildscapes butterfly count on their website (www.coastalwildscapes.org/event-3789251).

With more than 750,000 users worldwide recording and sharing observations, iNaturalist creates databases that scientists can use to understand better and protect nature. iNaturalist is a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society.

There are several flowers and bushes native to Georgia that can be planted to attract butterflies and other pollinators to your yard. Skidaway Audubon’s pollinator garden at Sparrow Field, located off Bartram Road, is a showcase of plants that attract all kinds of beneficial insects.

According to Skidaway Audubon, some of the vendors that have supplied high-quality plants for Sparrow Field include Thompson’s Garden in Brooklet, GA; Woodlander’s Nursery in Aiken, SC; Almost Eden Nursery of Merryville, LA; and mailordernatives.com of Florida, which ships plants native to the Southeast. Also, prairienursery.com and prairiemoon.com sell plugs and seeds, but be sure to ask only for plants suitable for coastal Georgia.