About our expert speakers:
Karen and Steve McCurdy have been active members and volunteers of the Butterfly Society of Virginia since moving to Virginia Beach in 2003 and have served jointly on the BSV Board since 2009. They have also served as docents at NBG’s native butterfly house since 2010. They became Certified Virginia Master Naturalists in 2016 and have been active in the Tidewater Chapter since then. In 2023, they were invited by Dr. Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch, to serve as Monarch Conservation Specialists.
They enjoy photography and gardening for wildlife and are proud of their Monarch Waystation and of their Certified Wildlife Habitat. One of the many rewards that comes with creating habitats is having the pleasure of attracting and observing a variety of species; as citizen scientist lepidopterists, Karen and Steve have had the opportunity to raise over 50 species of butterflies and moths to date.
Their volunteer activities center primarily around lepidoptera. They have taught classes for the University of Virginia’s OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) program in Charlottesville and have made numerous presentations across the state to school and community groups and at butterfly festivals at Virginia Living Museum, Williamsburg Botanical Garden, and Norfolk Botanical Garden.
