Second Brood of Karner Blue Butterflies Emerge

Free Weekly Walks Offered

The second brood of Karner blue butterflies have been observed at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park. The endangered Karner blue butterflies spend the winter as an egg and then hatch into their larval stage to feed on the wild blue lupine. The adults that are active in late May and early June mate and lay eggs on the wild blue lupine. Those eggs go through a quick life cycle and you can observe the adults from those eggs now as the second brood. They will lay eggs that overwinter to become next year’s butterflies!

There are several trails in the Preserve & Park to observe the small blue butterflies. The most accessible trails are at Camp Saratoga, where the trail leaves from Parking lot #1 on Scout Road and follows a slow incline into the meadow, less than 0.5 miles. The other trails are at Old Gick Farm and Fox, which are accessed from parking areas off of Route 50, just north of King Road. The next few weeks will be ideal for seeing many of the newly emerged Karner blue butterflies as they search for nectar and mates in the open pine/oak savannah that is their habitat in the Saratoga Sandplains.

There are many opportunities for guided nature walks to look for the Karner blue. These walks will take place on Wednesdays, continuing through July 26.  The walks will take place at 1:30 pm every week and leave from the parking area at Old Gick Farm on Route 50, which is just under 4 miles past Wilton Mall. The walks last about an hour and cover a mile of gently rolling terrain.  The walks will not take place if there is rain.  Please dress appropriately for weather and insects. 

Registration is required. Space is limited. To register please visit our www.wiltonpreserve.org, and click on the “Our Programs” tab, then “Calendar of Public Events” to access the online registration form. For more information, please contact the Preserve & Park office at 518-450-0321 or via email at info@wiltonpreserve.org. 

For up to date program trail and program information, visit the website at www.wiltonpreserve.org.  Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is a non-profit organization that conserves ecological systems and natural settings while providing opportunities for environmental education and outdoor recreation.