This July, The Arboretum participated as a host site for the Central Bluegrass Butterfly Count, coordinated by Floracliff Nature Sanctuary. A team of volunteers and Arboretum staff gathered to document the number of species and individual butterflies found around The Arboretum. We explored a variety of habitats here at The Arboretum, including prairie, woodland and wetlands, to find a total of 144 individual butterflies, representing 18 species.  

The Central Bluegrass Summer Butterfly Count is one of over 400 butterfly counts across North America. The data from these counts is reported to the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), an organization dedicated to the conservation of wild butterflies and their habitats. The NABA butterfly counts provide important information about the distribution and abundance of butterflies throughout North America.   

Across all the Central Bluegrass count sites this year, we found a total of 41 species and 1,897 individual butterflies. The Arboretum ranked among the top three sites for abundance, finding approximately 57 butterflies per hour of our count. The species that were most abundant at The Arboretum were the clouded sulphur (Colias philodice), the Sachem (Atalopedes campestris) and the eastern tailed-blue (Everes comyntas).  

To conserve and promote pollinators, including our many butterfly guests, we provide a variety of habitat and food sources across The Arboretum.  Woodlands, prairies, wetlands, traditional gardens and meadows give pollinators a diverse selection. The Pennyrile region in the Walk Across Kentucky Native Plant Collection is particularly unique as it contains a large tallgrass prairie ecosystem filled with native perennials that provide a great view of many butterfly species, including monarchs, swallowtails and fritillaries.   

To learn more about the North American Butterfly Association and how you can help butterfly populations in your area, visit  NABA.