Last updated: October 11, 2018

The Lancaster Butterfly and Entomological Club
2018 - Our 23rd year!

. .
        Sleepy Orange                           Yellow Jackets                            Ocola Skipper            .
Photographs by Fred Habegger

Meets at the North Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Next Events
 Monday,  October 1, 2018   7:00 pm   
"Members Night" Members share recent sightings, photos, movies, specimens, books, other observations.
Dates for 2018
March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 10, October 1

Dates and programs for 2019 will be announced early in 2019.

*** Butterfly sightings by year & month ***
The 57 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2018.
(October 18, September 35, August 41, July 33, June 28, May 25, April 5, March 2, February 1 species)
Most recent first sightings: --- Latest new species seen: Sleepy Orange, Fiery Skipper, and Ocola Skipper (late report).
(Updated October 11, 2018)

You can help with the 2018 sightings list. For information visit the 2018 page to see what has been reported and where you can send your sightings data. 

The regular meetings of the Lancaster Butterfly &  Entomological Club are held on the first Monday of every month from March through October (except the September meeting which is on the second Monday).

Meeting Location: Kinsey room on the second floor of the North Museum of Natural History & Science, at the corner of College Avenue and Buchanan Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The meetings run from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.

Everyone is invited to the meetings, which are free to all. Please use the Main entrance (a change from past practice) and bring a friend.

The purpose of the club is to study butterflies and insects and to share that information at our meetings. Catch the enthusiasm and attend our lively club meetings. Most meetings include a lecture, discussion, and show-and-tell of books, bugs, host plants, or photos. Members and friends are invited to field trips and Fourth of July Butterfly Counts in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania throughout the season. Counts are part of the North American Butterfly Association's Fourth of July Butterfly Count program and require a nominal participation fee by NABA. Learn what can be found in this area and meet other enthusiasts.

Membership Information: If you wish to join the club, annual dues are $15 (starting 2018) per household, payable at club meetings or by mail. Lancaster Butterfly and Entomological Club, Jan Schaefer, 154 Pinetown Rd, Leola, PA 17540. Jan Schaefer at 

For more information contact President Fred Habegger at    or 717-859-2521.

(Programs and Field Trips for 2018) 

Monday, March 5, 2018   7:00 pm
"Members' Night and elections. Have cabin fever? Help set the agenda for the coming season. Bring pictures movies, specimens, books, or stories to share with our members tonight. This is a great opportunity to have those mystery insects identified by the collective group.

Monday,  April 2, 2018   7:00 pm
"Damsels and Dragons- Flies that is!" by Tony Schoch. A power-point presentation about these iconic insects will focus on their anatomy, life cycle, indication of water quality, identification and their place in the food chain of the wetlands, lakes, ponds and streams.   
<-- Photo by Fred habegger.
Monday,  May 7, 2018   7:00 pm
"INSECTS --- AN OVERVIEW of the Orders." by Dr. Dave Newcomer.
<--- Photo by Dr. Dave Newcomer.
Monday,  June 4, 2018   7:00 pm
"Macro Photography" by Joe Wolf. See his photographs at: Joe Wolf's photographs.
Saturday, June 30, 2018   9:00 am  FIELD TRIP
Furnace Hills Fourth of July Butterfly Count. We will mount an intensive effort to find as many butterfly species as possible in the Brickerville Hills, Middlecreek State Game lands and Northern Lancaster County floodplains. This is part of the North American Butterfly Association’s Fourth of July Butterfly Count program and requires a nominal participation fee. Meet at 9:00 AM at the Riparian Park along PA-772 and Clay Road, about 1.4 mile East of the Lititz square. Compiler is Fred Habegger (Weather/cancelation info. 717-859-2521).
Monday,  July 2, 2018  7:00 pm 
"Pollination: It's a Complicated Relationship between Plants and Animals!" by Mike Slater. Mike is the author of the Outside column of the Berks Country insert in the Wednesday Reading Eagle.
 
Saturday, July 14, 2018   9:00 am  FIELD TRIP   .
"The 22nd Annual Holtwood Fourth of July Butterfly Count."
Another opportunity to tally butterflies for NABA (North American Butterfly Association), this time in the Southern part of the county. Explore along the Susquehanna River and at Muddy Run Park. A nominal participation fee will be assessed. Meet at 9:00 AM at the Muddy Run Park Information Center's butterfly garden. Compiler is Fred Habegger (Weather/ cancelation info. 717-859-2521).
 
Monday,  August 6, 2018  7:00 pm 
"Twenty-five Years of 4th of July Butterfly Counts - Furnace Hills & Holtwood" followed by a nature video "Another Year Flies By" presented by LB&EC president Fred Habegger.
 
 <-- Black Dash
Saturday, August 18, 2018   9:00 am and/or 3:00 pm   FIELD TRIP
"Summer Rerun of the Furnace Hills Butterfly Count."  Summer Rerun of the Furnace Hills Butterfly Count.  For the die-hard enthusiasts, we will start at 9:00 AM from Sunfish Pond at Middlecreek Wildlife Management Area. No fee, but bring plenty of fluids and sun screen for making a hot day of butterfly hunting in the field manageable. August is the prime month to see numbers of butterflies. We will be regrouping at 3:00 PM, at the Middlecreek Visitor’s Center, allowing those who want a shorter day of butterflying to join us in the afternoon.
 
Monday,  September 10, 2018   7:00 pm
"Some Butterflies of Lancaster County" by Fred Habegger.
 
Lancaster Butterfly
& Entomological Club

Monday,  October 1, 2018   7:00 pm   
"Members Night" Members share recent sightings, photos, movies, specimens, books, other observations.

*** Butterfly sightings by year ***

The -- butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2018
The 61 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2017
The 64 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2016
The 60 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2015
The 75 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2013
The 79 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2012
The 70 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2011
The 72 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2010
The 67 butterfly species seen in Lancaster County in 2009
Photographs of Lancaster Butterflies  - 2012 , 2011, and 2010

You can help with the 2018 sightings list. For information visit the 2018 page to see what has been reported and where you can send your sighting data. 

Further Afield - Other organizations

Ned Smith Center
For Nature and Art
Ned Smith Center
Saturday   July 28, 2018
"Ned Smith Nature and Arts Festival," To be held for the first time at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, 176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg, PA sponsored by the Ned Smith Center. Click on "Events." All ages will be entertained and stimulated. Our contact person is John Laskowski at 717-362-7979 for more information. 
.
National Moth Week
Saturday   July 28, 2018
Celebrate National Moth Week July 21-29, 2018 . Turn the porch light on and enjoy the show! NationalMothWeek.org has information on this celebration of biodiversity of the often overlooked creatures in your neighborhood. Pennsylvania has over 1000 species of moths.

Friday   June 23, 2018
Locally there will be a Moth Night at Nolde Forest on June 23, 2018 with the Mengel Natural History Society and the Baird Ornithological Club hosting.

          Photographs by Karl Gardner unless otherwise noted.

RELATED EVENTS at the Ned Smith Center in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
For more information check their web site or call John Laskowski at 717-362-7979

                For information on events at the North Museum go to North Museum.
        For Butterfly sightings in Lancaster County for 2018 go to Lancaster Co. Butterflies 2018.
                   For Butterfly sightings in Berks County for 2018 go to Berks Co. - Butterflies 2018
                  For Butterfly walks in Berks County go to Berks County Nature - Butterfly Walks 2018.
                   For Nature events in Berks County go to Berks County Nature.


           Red-banded Hairstreak               Pipevine Swallowtail Pupa     Summer Azure Caterpillar

          Spotted Lanternfly             Spotted Lanternfly Egg Clusters
Photographs by Karl Gardner
.