Massachusetts Butterfly Club

At the end of the fieldwork phase of the Massachusetts Butterfly Atlas Project (1986-1990), a number of the volunteers who had discovered not only a lot of good butterflies, but also each other as well, decided to form the Massachusetts Butterfly Club (MBC). During the next few years, under Brian Cassie's leadership, the club sponsored two or three meetings each year, field trips both in Massachusetts and to butterfly hot spots further afield, and a periodical, Massachusetts Butterflies. This periodical, now published twice a year, features articles submitted by members, excerpts from books, the 4th of July butterfly counts, and a compilation of club members' butterfly sightings by species and by area for the year. You may view back issues of Massachusettts Butterflies on our back issues webpage.

Riding a rising tide of interest in butterflies, a diverse group of butterfly enthusiasts formed the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) in 1992 to "meet the needs of recreational butterfliers and to educate the public to the joys of butterflying." Since then, NABA has continued to expand and improve its quarterly, American Butterflies, added the new periodical, Butterfly Gardener, taken over coordination of the 4th of July butterfly counts from the Xerces Society, and completed the task of standardizing North American butterfly names. Bi-annual NABA meetings include field trips, workshops, and slide presentations conducted by well-known experts. Previous sites for the bi-annual meetings have been in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, California, Massachusetts and Tennessee.

In January 1995, members of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club voted to become one of the first local chapters of NABA. This allows both groups to benefit by sharing the knowledge and enthusiasm of the combined membership. At the first meeting an initial slate of officers was elected. Officers are elected by ballot for a term of two years starting November 1st and ending October 31st two years later. The elections are held in even numbered years.
NABA Chapter bylaws

In 2006, the club hosted the NABA Biennial Meeting. View photos from that meeting.