OutdoorNebraska

6 A fter large mammals and birds, no animals capture the attention of people more than butterflies. However, information about butterflies is much less readily available. That's why, after four decades of butterfly research and surveys, Elm Creek resident Neil Dankert set out to fill this gap. Most of the knowledge about butterflies in Nebraska has been limited to the minds of a handful, including Neil, Jim Reiser, Barbara and Loren Padelford, Steve Spomer at the University of Nebraska, and Dr. Matthew Brust at Chadron State College. Neil personally has helped lead one of the nation's longest-running butterfly surveys at The Nature Conservancy's Niobrara Valley Preserve. In 2019, upon his retirement, Neil sought to use his newfound freedom to disseminate the combined knowledge of this group, starting with handheld, field-focused guides. Then, in late 2021, he applied for a Watchable Wildlife Grant funded by the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund to build an online guide for the lepidoptera of Nebraska, www.NebraskaLepidoptera.com, so named for the order that includes moths, butterflies, and skipper butterflies. Neil had started the site in 2020 to document his butterfly "big year" where he saw over 100 species of butterfly in Nebraska in a single year. That effort inspired him to take it Nebraska Butterfly Website By Jonathan Nikkila, co-creator of Nebraska Lepidoptera website Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas By Cody Dreier, Pollinator Ecologist, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission B ees are excellent pollinators and bumble bees are some of the best, especially for plants that rely on buzz pollination. To do this, bumble bees can detach their flight muscles from their wings and literally shake the pollen out of flowers. For plants like tomatoes and peppers, this helps increase fruit set. Historically, Nebraska is home to twenty different species of bumble bees that all contribute to pollinating our natural, urban, and agricultural areas. Unfortunately, many of these species are experiencing sharp population declines and need our help. Enter the Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas. The Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas was launched in 2019 by the Xerces Society and the University of Nebraska, funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The goal of the Atlas is to document the different areas that bumble bees inhabit and the flowers they use. This project utilizes both community scientists and professional biologists to gather data on these charismatic, but often illusive, species. Interested in helping with this project? The survey process is fairly straight forward, and anyone can participate after receiving in-person or online training. To complete a survey, community scientists can first locate a patch of flowers, then start a timer and try to capture as many bumble bees as possible in 45 minutes. Captured bumble bees are put into plastic vials and placed on ice to chill down. Cold bumble bees are much easier to photograph! While the bees chill, the surveyor collects basic habitat information such as the GPS location of the site and the flower species in the area. Once the bees have been chilled, the surveyor can photograph them. As soon as they are warm, the bumble bee flies away, unharmed, and resumes its business collecting nectar. After the survey is complete, photographs and data are submitted to BumbleBeeWatch.org where experts confirm the bee identification. Thanks to this project, we are developing a better understanding of where bumble bee s pecies occur in Nebraska, and we are growing the database to learn more about what flowers each bumble bee species likes best. However, the work is not done yet. To join the effort and help support bumble bees through this community science project, visit BumbleBeeAtlas.org. If bees are not your thing, there are other community science opportunities to help pollinators. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission runs a summer survey looking for monarch and regal fritillary butterflies. Monarch Watch tags monarchs during the fall migration, and Project Monarch Health samples for OE (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a protozoan parasite) whenever monarchs are present. Any of the projects (and many others) would greatly appreciate your help and can keep you as busy as a bee. Biologists using field guides to identify bumble bee species. OLIVIA DARUNGNA

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