NABA-Central Kentucky, Lexington, Lexington, KY (2026)

The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) formed in 1992 is, by far, the largest group of people in North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) interested in butterflies. We are a membership-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization working to increase public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies. NABA owns and operates the National Butterfly Center (NBC), a 100-acre conservation

, education and research center in Mission, Texas. NABA has transformed what was an agricultural field, when acquired by NABA in 2002, into the largest botanical garden in the United States focused on using native plants in a garden setting. More than 220 species of wild butterflies have now been seen at the NBC. NABA runs the NABA Butterfly Monitoring Program, including the 4th of July Butterfly Counts, and has amassed the largest database of butterfly occurrences and abundances in the world. These data are increasingly used by scientists to study butterfly population trends and to answer questions about butterfly biology. NABA’s Program for Butterfly Gardening and Habitats promotes the creation of habitats that increase the world’s population of butterflies. A Butterfly Garden Certification is available for Individuals and institutions. The NABA chapters work at the state and/or local level to conserve butterflies and to educate the public about the importance of butterflies.

08/08/2026

Go spend your day in the Zinnias! And grab a glass of wine too! 🦋🍷🦋

08/02/2026

Sharing some of my favorite butterfly photos from this year—so far. It’s been a slow season with a lot of variable weather in Central Kentucky. We are quickly moving into Monarch season and it won’t be long before we are tagging to send them to Mexico! ©️Michul Photography
🦋
1. Great Spangled Fritillary 2. Viceroy 3. Silvery Checkerspot 4. Red-banded Hairstreak 5. Banded Hairstreak 6. Tawny-edged Skipper 7. American Copper (lifer) 8. Swarthy Skippers 9. Delaware Skipper 10. Common Buckeye 11. Variegated Fritillary 12. Least Skipper 13. Clouded Sulphur
14. Summer Azure 15. Silver-spotted Skipper
16. Monarch 🦋

07/26/2026

We know it’s been quiet around here and we’re sorry for that! A lot has been happening behind the scenes, including two official NABA butterfly counts. In between that I’ve had some personal trips out of town for family matters.

But the 🦋BIG NEWS🦋 is our count group at Camp Nelson Battlefield yesterday turned up, not one, but TWO American Coppers! Shout out to Logan Anderson for walking in waist high grass to find them. His skills yesterday were ninja-like. I actually cried when he found the first one and I misidentified it as a Bronze Copper until we studied it more closely. We also had a very high number of Swarthy Skippers which I feel like is a record for that area. We noted several Delaware Skippers as well. It was a cloudy day with temps in the low 70s, which is uncommon for July in KY. Lots of dew on the grass & it didn’t warm up until at least Noon/1PM (we started at 9:30AM EST). This day showed the value of properly preparing your clothes with permethrin for walking in high grass & ending the day doing a proper tick check. I personally don’t walk in high grass but I’m so grateful to Logan for taking one for the team!

All photos©️Michul Photography

07/09/2026

Due to predicted rain & a flood watch, this Saturday’s Central Bluegrass Butterfly Count (official NABA count) has been rescheduled to July 17. All teams have been assembled & contacted about the change. Thanks again to Beverly at Floracliff Nature Sanctuary for organizing this annual event! 🦋

06/30/2026

Lexington is under an Extreme Heat Warning today. Although butterflies love the hot weather, this is not the day to go out and try to look for them unless it's in your own garden for a few minutes. If you have to be out, please stay hydrated. If this is your only day to search for our pollinator friends, take the opportunity to walk in the shady woods and look for our woodland butterflies such as Carolina or Gemmed Satyrs, Northern Pearly Eye, Question Mark, Eastern Comma and so many more!

It's also a good time to think about adding a water source to your gardens. Even a small dish with a few pebbles can prove to be an important addition to your garden. Try creating a puddling area with muddy soil so butterflies can reap the benefits of the nutrients. Bees and butterflies (and many other insects) need a good drink of water as much as we do! Click the LINK below to check out more information from the National Wildlife Federation! 🦋

CLICK HERE: ➡️https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Tip-Sheets/Water-Butterfly-Gardens.pdf

06/29/2026

Now that Pollinator Week has ended, I want to thank everyone who participated! Whether you came to the film last Monday, participated in a garden tour, distributed seeds, planted trees and flowers, took a hike to see pollinators - whatever it was you did, it made a difference! I know things were a little quiet on our end for personal reasons, but I was thrilled to see so many events in Lexington and surrounding communities supporting the importance of pollinators. We are all in this together!

Pictured here are a few friends from this past week. Captions are on photos and all photos were taken by me!

Address

Lexington
Lexington, KY
40517

Website

https://naba.org/membership/, https://www.bonfire.com/store/naba-central-kentucky/

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