Sarasota County Butterfly Club Meetings
Program Meetings are held from September to May on the 4th Thursdays of the month, 9 am – 11:30 am at the Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236, and include presentations on topics related to butterflies. They are open to the public with a modest guest fee. See Calendar for currently scheduled program meetings.
Our Location
1131 Blvd. of The Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236
Sarasota County Butterfly Club Field Trips
Field trips are scheduled mostly in the spring and fall to view butterflies in the wild at local preserves, parks and other public open spaces. Under the guidance of a field trip leader, you may be searching for a specific butterfly known to frequent that location. Sightings are recorded and submitted to Butterflies I’ve Seen on the NABA website. Most field trips last 1-3 hours, are free to members with guests included at a modest fee. No experience is necessary. Come and learn. See Calendar for currently scheduled field trips.
NABA Butterfly Counts
SCBC Members are encouraged to help with citizen science in action during the Butterfly Counts that are coordinated through the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) by volunteers around the US, Canada, and Mexico. The club holds the Annual NABA Count in late spring and a count in the fall with dates announced as they are scheduled. Registration with the count coordinator is required to take part. No experience is necessary. Spotters and recorders are always needed. Come and learn.
Membership:
Membership in the Sarasota County Butterfly Club (SCBC) is through membership in the North American Butterfly Association. Once you join NABA, you will be assigned to the Sarasota County Butterfly Club. SCBC receives a share of the NABA dues which assists us as an organization to increase public enjoyment and conservation of local butterflies.
SCBC Membership includes:
Free programs & plant exchanges, field trips, summer socials, Annual Members’ Garden Tour, and potlucks/raffles.
NABA’s quarterly, full-color publications:
- American Butterfly Magazine, a beautiful magazine on topics of interest to butterfly enthusiasts, including articles on butterfly “hot spots”, identification, gardening, photography, book reviews and regular features and columns.
- Butterfly Gardener, devoted to articles of interest to butterfly gardeners in North America, many illustrating the gardening experiences of NABA members.
SCBC’s monthly digital newsletter Fluttering Friends, which keynotes happenings in the club as well as articles about butterflies, local butterfly sightings, and gardening experiences of SCBC members. (See a sample newsletter here)
Plant Nursery Discounts: a discount on purchases provided by our plant nursery partners to our members in good standing. Show your current, dated membership card and save. See Garden/Nursery Participants Here
Membership Levels and Cost:
Individual – Digital NABA Magazines – $35.00 (USD)
Individual – Print and Digital NABA Magazines – $40.00 (USD)
Family – $50.00 (USD) – all immediate members of family are NABA members
Institution – $65.00 (USD) also get a copy of NABA’s yearly Butterfly Count Report
Special Sponsorship Levels
Copper – $60.00 (USD)
Skipper – $100.00 (USD)
Admiral – $250.00 (USD) first time members also get a copy of NABA President Dr. Glassberg’s Enjoying Butterflies More and a copy of NABA notecards with renewals
Monarch – $1,000.00 (USD)
To join, go here and follow the directions on the NABA website to enroll online or to join through the mail. NABA then notifies us of your membership. Note: to ensure that you get placed immediately on our club’s contact list, please use the Contact Us page to email us that you’ve joined.
Renewing Members: Membership should be renewed directly with NABA when they send a renewal notification by email. Go here and follow the directions to either renew online or offline by mail. You can also sign up for automatic renewals on their website. Download Mail in Application Here.
How Can You Help? – go here, which will cover volunteering, donations, gift giving, Florida Butterfly Movement, etc.