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The 20th Annual Butterfly Count is scheduled Saturday at Sycamore Shoals State Park, beginning at 9 a.m. Naturalist Don Holt will lead this day-long winged adventure across town.

The morning will be spent at Sycamore Shoals, and the afternoon in other areas of Elizabethton.

There is a small fee to have your name included on the official count list. Participants may come for all or part of the day.

The event is sponsored by the North American Butterfly Association. In case of rain, a rain date will be announced.

Last year approximately 20 people took part in the event, which is part of a national effort to preserve butterfly populations. The annual Elizabethton Butterfly Count happens in partnership with the North American Butterfly Association. 

Participants hope to spot and log as many different species of the winged insects as they can.

Holt, who is leader of the group, said this survey helps show changes in the butterfly population, and that it’s important the population stays healthy.

“Even though not everyone understands what pollination is, you do know it’s important because we eat food that grows from plants that are pollinated by insects,” Holt said. “The butterflies themselves may not be that active in the pollination of food crops, but they’re part of a healthy ecosystem. Without an ecosystem, there’s no us.”