Zebra Swallowtail on Blazing Star. Photo by Don Fraser

Swallowtails to Skippers: the Butterflies of Hernando County, with Speaker Don Fraser

Socializing: 6:45 p.m.

Meeting starts: 7 p.m.

Program starts: 7:15 p.m.

About the presentation: The presentation will discuss most of the butterfly species known to still occur in Hernando County, grouped by each of the five families of butterflies found here. It will point out characteristics to differentiate among similar-looking species, and provide life history information on the habitat preferences and general distribution of some of the butterflies found in central Florida, including several very rare ones. Recommendations on resource material for when and where to find butterflies will be provided, as well as tips on how to observe, photograph, and identify them, including field guides and available on-line data sources.

Don Fraser

About the speaker: Don Fraser is a retired wildlife biologist who lives in Dunedin. Until he moved to Florida in 2013, he lived and worked in Ontario, Canada, where he first developed what became a life-long love of natural history -- particularly birds -- in his teens. What began as a weekend hobby soon morphed into a full-scale obsession and eventually developed into a vocation, as Don parlayed his passion for wildlife into a long career in environmental consulting. His recent move to Florida has allowed Don to once again return to the hobby side of birding and butterfly study. He is an avid wildlife photographer and has shared over 10,000 observations of fauna on iNaturalist. He has observed over 130 species of butterflies in Florida; over 50% of these have been documented in Pasco and Hernando counties. 

Common Buckeye. Photo by Don Fraser