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Excited and curious about the natural world? Enjoy being outside? Want to play an ACTIVE role in the management and conservation of Virginia’s natural resources? If so…the Virginia Master Naturalist program is for you!
As members of a community-based natural resources program, Virginia Master Naturalists are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards helping Virginians conserve and manage natural resources and public lands.
Ways you can help:
- Education – Teach adults and youth about nature!
- Citizen Science – Collect data on wildlife and plant populations, water quality, and more!
- Stewardship – Restore wildlife habitat, clean up a local stream, or build a trail!
Interested Virginians become Master Naturalists through training and volunteer service. Click here to learn more.
Applications for the Spring 2025 Basic Training Course are closed. For more information about the next available class, email Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists on our Contact page.
Master Naturalists in Action
October 10, 2025 – Catch the King Tide
Mapping high tide with Joyce Pully. Photos by Susan Crockett.
July 27, 2025 – Delmarva Tip Butterfly Count
17 volunteers in four teams endured extreme heat of 97 degrees to scour the tip of the Eastern Shore to count butterflies Sunday, July 27 for the Delmarva Tip Butterfly Count in Northampton County; this was the 27th year for this count.
The total species count was 31, and the number of individuals was 693. Volunteers reported extreme dry conditions and few flowering nectar sources. The all-time high species count is 47, so this year was much lower and even lower than last year’s 37 species. Adrienne Frank of Williamsburg was the compiler for the count.
Highest counts were 146 Silver-spotted Skippers, 75 Black Swallowtails, 71 Red-spotted Purples and 51 Spicebush Swallowtails.
June 24, 2025 – George Washington’s Birthplace Butterfly Count
April 10, 2025 – Great Middlesex Green Up
On Thursday, April 10, Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists and trainees participated in the Great Middlesex Green Up by collecting trash at Heritage Trail in Middlesex County, VA. We were delighted that we only collected one big orange bag of trash, three tires, and some metal. This gave us time to work on removing some of the invasive species in the park. Unfortunately, we discovered a mattress and boxspring that had been recently dumped in the field next to the park. ☹️
We spotted some beautiful butterflies and other wildlife while canvassing the park. Photos by Robin Mathews.
March 22, 2025 – Basic Training
March 11, 2025 – Vernal Pool Monitoring
Meet our 2025 Officers
December 27, 2024 – Middle Peninsula Audubon Christmas Bird Count
The Middle Peninsula Master Naturalist Chapter sponsored the sixth year of the Middle Peninsula Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Friday December 27, 2024. This is the 125th year that the National Audubon Society has conducted this bird count that is the longest-running community science bird project providing avian researchers critical statistics on bird populations and bird species distribution. https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
The 15-mile diameter circle of the Middle Peninsula Count includes Gloucester, Middlesex, and King and Queen Counties. Fifty-seven volunteers enjoyed counting many varieties of birds for over nine hours. Thirty of the volunteers were Virginia Master Naturalists from four local chapters. Nine volunteers traveled from out of the Middle Peninsula area; one from as far away as Texas. Public parks and boat landings were visited and many, many private property owners allowed us access to count the birds. We are very appreciative of their support for this important community science event.
Susan Crockett, compiler, reports that the Middle Peninsula Count identified 87 species of birds and counted a total of 8,417 birds in the field and on the water. Although no rare birds were seen, the following are the high counts for the day: Ring-billed Gulls (1489), Canada Geese (1138), Hooded Mergansers (544), Dark-eyed Juncos (427), Bufflehead Ducks (421), and American Robins (419).
November 5, 2024 – Middle Peninsula Bird Club and Naturalists at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs
On Tuesday November 5, 2024 seventeen volunteers from the Middle Peninsula Master Naturalist Chapter and the Middle Peninsula Bird Club helped to count birds and other wildlife at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs for the Fall survey of the Department of Wildlife Resources Virginia Bird and Wildlife (VBWT) Adopt-a-Trail Program. The surveys are conducted quarterly. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs is one of eight sites on the Gloucester Loop of the VBWT: https://dwr.virginia.gov/vbwt/coastal-trail/CGL/. During this 2-hour survey 35 species of birds were identified and 177 individual birds were counted. Also, 10 species of butterflies were identified nectaring in the pollinator garden. The bird species were reported to eBird.org and the butterfly species were reported to iNaturalist.org.
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October 3, 2024 – Water Quality Testing
September 28, 2024 – Coastal Virginia Birdathon
On Saturday September 28, 2024 eleven members of the Middle Peninsula Bird Club and Middle Peninsula Master Naturalist Chapter participated in the Coastal Virginia Birdathon (https://vawildliferesearch.org/coastal-va-birdathon), a birding challenge to benefit the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory. The “Wild Wings” team spent 12 hours counting birds at eight sites in Gloucester County, and observed 60 different bird species.
July 28, 2024 – Delmarva Tip Butterfly Count
Three members of the Middle Peninsula Master Naturalist Chapter traveled to the Eastern Shore on Sunday July 28 to count butterflies for the 26th Delmarva Tip Butterfly Count sanctioned by the North American Butterfly Association. They spent six hours identifying and counting butterflies at various sites including this beautiful field of sunflowers in the Cape Charles area. They identified 12 different species of butterflies in the sunflower field and counted 96 individual butterflies. Overall 17 volunteers covered the lower part of the Eastern Shore and within the 15-mile count circle identified 38 species of butterflies.
July 14, 2024 – NABA Butterfly Count
MPMN had four members volunteer for the Chippokes NABA Butterfly Count in Surry County: Edie Bradbury, Chris Conley, Susan Crockett, Sherry Rollins. We counted in the Chippokes Park Sector and Susan Crockett was Sector Leader. In our sector we identified 26 species of butterflies and counted 224 individual butterflies.
Joe Pye Weed + Lantana Bush = Butterflies to be counted!!
June 17, 2024 – Water Quality Recertification
Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists attended a workshop led by Sophie Stern, Water Quality Monitoring Projects Coordinator at Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, to get recertified in Water Quality testing. The workshop was held at Machicomoco State Park.
June 1, 2024 – Black Birder’s Week
Black Birder’s Week is a nationwide week of birding activities highlighting Black nature enthusiasts and increasing the visibility of Black birders, who face unique challenges and risks when engaging in outdoor activities. The event is sponsored by the Gloucester Branch of the NAACP, the Middle Peninsula Master Naturalist Chapter and the Middle Peninsula Bird Club.
2023 – The Year in Review
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