Volunteer: Help Restore Habitat for Rare Berkshire Butterflies
2025-05-10 09:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Pittsfield, MA
Help remove an invasive plant that threatens the small native plants found in our forests’ understory and contribute to an ongoing study of rare Berkshire butterflies!
Join us for a meaningful volunteer event focused on removing invasive garlic mustard and protecting two rare butterfly species found in the Berkshires: the Veined White (Pieris napi oleracea) and the West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis).
DATE: Saturday, May 10
TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
LOCATION: Whitney Place Rd, Pittsfield, MA — near October Mountain State Forest and the Farnham Reservoir (a precise meeting location will be given to registrants next week)
This effort supports Jessica Duffy’s community science research, which is studying how garlic mustard removal affects these butterfly populations over time. By participating, you’ll be directly contributing to the preservation of important native habitats.
What to Expect:

A brief overview of garlic mustard and the native toothwort plant it threatens
Small group garlic mustard pulling, with plants bagged for industrial composting
Complimentary coffee and snacks to start the day
Gloves and bags provided — please bring a full water bottle, wear sturdy footwear, and dress for the weather

This volunteer opportunity is open to individuals of all ages. Families, school groups, and organizations are encouraged to attend and help out.
If you missed Jessica’s Green Drinks talk in March about this project, you can watch the presentation on BEAT’s YouTube channel to learn more. Watch it here.
Please RSVP to help us plan for supplies and refreshments. Email team@thebeatnews.org to let us know you’ll be joining us!

MAPN May presentation: Native Herbivores as Control for Non-Native Plants
2025-05-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Online/Zoom
Join the Massachusetts Pollinator Network (MAPN) for their monthly presentation, this month featuring Michael LaScaleia, Putnam Postdoctoral Fellow at Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.
Plant population sizes are generally regulated by herbivores, and much of the diversity of our native flora is due to this phenomenon. Exotic plants are often able to invade and destroy this diversity because they do not experience herbivory to the same degree as native plants.
In his research, Michael seeks to answer the simple question: “Why not?” While we understand that invasive plants experience less herbivory, we do not know the precise mechanisms that lead to this so called “enemy release” or how it allows invasive plants to dominate so efficiently.
Michael observes native caterpillars to determine how the consumption of non-native plants impacts their fitness, especially in relation to their predators. Ultimately, he hopes to find ways to use native caterpillars to control and defeat invasive exotic plants.
DATE: Tuesday, May 27
TIME: 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM
LOCATION: Online via Zoom
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michael LaScaleia completed his PhD on plant-caterpillar-parasitoid interactions at the University of Connecticut in August 2024, and is now the Putnam Postdoctoral Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University. His interest in native flora was sparked during his undergraduate years at Tufts, and grew to include insects and plant/herbivore interactions during his graduate studies.
REGISTER HERE

Native Plant Giveaway & Exchange at BEAT's Rain Garden
2025-05-31 10:00 - 12:00 | Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), 20 Chapel St., Pittsfield, MA
Like previous years, BEAT will thin out the rain garden this spring at our Environmental Leadership & Education Center, and we’d love to spread some of these native plants out to other areas in Berkshire County!
DATE: Saturday, May 31
TIME: 10 AM to Noon
LOCATION: BEAT’s Environmental Leadership & Education Center, 20 Chapel Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Four years ago, with the help of volunteers, BEAT planted a rain garden at our Environmental Leadership & Education Center located along the West Branch Housatonic River in Pittsfield. Not only does this garden collect and filter stormwater before running off and draining to the Housatonic River directly behind our building, but it also supports native pollinators. For the last two years, we have been amazed at how huge and dense the plants get each summer, with blue vervain and other native plants over nine feet tall! The garden is filled with pollinators all summer, and then in the fall, birds feast on the fruit.
We’ll be at BEAT’s Center (20 Chapel Street, Pittsfield) giving out plants from 10 AM to Noon on Saturday, May 31. Feel free to stop by at any time during those hours. Some species that will be available to take home are common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), blue vervain (Verbena hastata), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) and likely a few other species as well. Also, if you have an abundance of native plants in your garden and would like to share them with others, please feel free to bring them along — but it’s also not necessary.
If you have any of the following plants and you’re willing to donate any to BEAT’s rain garden, please let us know!

Wild bee balm or wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Golden alexander (Zizia aurea)
Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
