Free live lecture and Zoom webinar with Hugh Ranson

Photographer and naturalist Hugh Ranson has had a lifelong love of species that fly.  Although a dedicated and expert birder, 10 years ago, Hugh became interested in identifying and photographing dragonflies. He presented a lecture and mini field trip for the Society on Odonata, an insect order including dragonflies and damselflies, at the UC Sedgwick Reserve.  At the beginning of the pandemic, he began to pay more attention to our local butterflies, in the order Lepidoptera, and has since traveled extensively within the county in search of the one hundred or more butterfly species that occur here.  Hugh will share many of the remarkable photos he has taken of our local butterflies.  Some species are migrants and occur widely while others are confined to restricted habitats.  He’ll discuss when species fly and where to look for them. The number of recognized butterfly species continues to grow as genetic analyses reveal that some look-alike individuals are actually different species. A full appreciation of butterflies requires paying attention to the plant host, so he will discuss a number of those important plants.

Photographer and naturalist Hugh Ranson grew up in Britain and became a keen birder (“twitcher”) at the age of twelve. He moved to Santa Barbara in 1981 and his love of birds continued.  Hugh writes a monthly column called “Santa Barbara Birding” for the Santa Barbara Independent.

How to Attend Live or via Zoom

Event date: Thursday, September 26, 2024, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Live lecture location: Stacey Hall, St. Mark’s in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, 2901 Nojoqui Ave, Los Olivos
The lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer period.

Zoom registration: Register in advance for this Zoom webinar at this link: Butterflies of Santa Barbara County. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.