Alison Center has worked as a wildlife biologist for the Bureau of Land Management and U. S. Forest Service and volunteers on the Coast Fork Willamette watershed council’s technical team. She is presently working as the editorial assistant for BioProcess International magazine and is the president of the Oregon chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) based in Eugene. Last year she enjoyed surveying for butterflies, bumblebees, pond turtles, and birds.
NABA formed in 1992 and is the largest group of people in North America interested in butterflies. NABA has active programs in butterfly conservation, monitoring and gardening, and owns and operates the National Butterfly Center, a 100-acre conservation, education and research center in Mission, Texas.
Listen in as we talk about butterflies, their fascinating relationship with Oregon landscapes, and how you can plant your garden to attract more butterflies.
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“The first step is to be curious about butterflies and start noticing them, and then where does your interest lie? Would you like to know more about their natural history? Do you want more of them in your yard? Or are you a birder who wants something new?“ – Alison Center
Show Notes:
- The first steps people take in learning about butterflies
- Where gardening for butterflies and bees overlap
- Why local identification guides are extremely helpful in learning about your garden’s bugs
- How NABA helps out new and experienced butterfly enthusiasts
- How NABA does their “Fourth-of-July Butterfly Count”
- The differences and similarities between moths and butterflies
- How butterflies deter predators
- What makes the relationship between butterflies and plants unique
- How different moths and butterflies prepare their chrysalis and cocoons
- How butterflies prepare for winter
- The migration patterns of various butterflies
- What plants Alison recommends for good butterfly and pollinator habitats
- Alison’s favorite books about butterflies, tools, and pollinator
“The North American Butterfly Association has extensive butterfly monitoring programs, so where Audubon has the Christmas Bird Count, NABA has the Fourth of July Count. In Oregon the Eugene group sponsors two counts, but there are a number of other counts that take place elsewhere in the state.“ – Alison Center
Links Mentioned:
- Learn more about the North American Butterfly Association and NABA Oregon
- Check out the NABA Oregon Garden Plant Lists
- Get a copy of NABA’s “Butterflies of Lane County” pocket guide
- Alison’s favorite books about butterflies:
- Alison’s favorite tools:
- Check out Alison’s favorite pollinator, the Sara Orangetip (Anthocharis sara)
- Connect with Alison Center at the NABA website