Join us for the March 2025 Berkshire Green Drinks event, where Jessica Duffy will discuss two rare butterfly species found in the Berkshires: the Veined White (Pieris napi oleracea) and the West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis).

Jessica will review the natural history of the butterflies, discussing how they are rare and the plants they depend on, particularly during spring flight. Jessica will also discuss the pressures the Veined White and West Virginia White butterflies face due to two species of Braconid parasitoid wasps that were initially released to help combat the invasive Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae).

Additionally, Jessica will talk about the threat invasive garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) poses to the West Virginia White population by crowding out its native spring host plant and potentially acting as an “egg sink,” hindering the larvae’s ability to develop when the butterfly lays its eggs on it.

Volunteer Opportunity: In early spring 2025, BEAT will ask for volunteers to join Jessica in surveying an access road on October Mountain. We will also start organizing volunteer garlic mustard pulls in the spring. This volunteer work will aid Jessica’s research on these two rare butterfly species by monitoring whether butterfly populations change from year to year as we bring down the garlic mustard concentrations from spring pulling.

Thank you to Hot Plate Brewing Co. for co-sponsoring this month’s Berkshire Green Drinks event!

DATE: Wednesday, March 12

TIME: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM — The in-person gathering begins around 5:15 PM.

LOCATION: Hot Plate Brewing Co., 1 School St, Pittsfield, MA & Online via Zoom

Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Click here to register for online participation.

RSVP Here if you plan to join us for the in-person gathering (doing so helps the venue staff).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jessica Duffy is currently working as a medical coder in the Berkshires. She has her Master’s degree in Entomology from UMass-Amherst, where her thesis focused on the Veined White and the West Virginia White butterflies—specifically on threats they face from the two parasitoids mentioned above. After graduating, Jessica worked with the U.S. Forest Service in Mississippi (The Southern Hardwoods Lab in Stoneville) before working as an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA) Officer at Logan Airport in Boston. She lived in Boston for about 20 years before the pandemic hit, which created a window of opportunity that brought Jessica and her family to the Berkshires.

What is Berkshire Green Drinks? Berkshire Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month that is free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. A guest speaker talks about an environmentally-related topic for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM; the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join and bring along questions!

What is Green Drinks? Green Drinks is an international forum where people who work in the environmental field and environmental enthusiasts meet for a drink and snacks at informal sessions. There will be a lively mix of people from non-profit organizations, academia, government, business, and the general public. Green Drinks is a great way of catching up with people you know and for making new contacts. These networking events are very simple and unstructured. Come along, and you’ll be made welcome.