News
New Vineyard Orthoptera Records
Recent observations bring the Vineyard’s Orthoptera checklist to 71 species.
A New Obsession
Photographer and teacher Chris Baer explains his fascination with finding and documenting the obscure wildlife that surrounds us all.
2025 Long Point Bioblitz
The fourth annual bioblitz of Long Point Wildlife Refuge, conducted June 28-29, 2025, documented about 331 species, including a number of observations that appear to represent first records for Martha’s Vineyard.
American Golden Longhorn (Callicera erratica)
Found in West Tisbury on May 3, 2025, a male Callicera erratica represented a new species of hoverfly for Martha’s Vineyard – and apparently for Massachusetts as well.
2024 Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count
Held in unseasonably mild weather on December 29, 2024, the 65th annual Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count tallied 129 species and 21,408 individual birds.
2024 MVAL Year in Review
2024 was a great year for the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life, with a range of successful events, important research projects, growing use of the iNaturalist platform, and a wealth of important plant and animal discoveries.
MVAL Adds New “Data Explorer”
The MVAL website has added a powerful new tool for exploring Martha’s Vineyard natural history records: an easy-to-use “data explorer” that searches the huge Global Biodiversity Information Facility database.
Eroding Cliffs Offer Migratory Bats a Roost
A stunning observation of a silver-haired bat roosting in an eroded chimney in the cliff at Lucy Vincent Beach, Chilmark, Massachusetts.
Protandrena compositarum
Protandrena compositarum, a small, specialized bee associated with aster flowers, has been documented for the first time on Martha’s Vineyard.
Neotridactylus apicialis
Neotridactylus apicialis, the larger pygmy mole grasshopper, has been documented on Martha’s Vineyard – the 69th species of Orthoptera known from the island.
Stylogaster neglecta
Apparently a first record for Martha’s Vineyard, the Conopid fly Stylogaster neglecta was recently found outside the BiodiversityWorks office in Vineyard Haven.
2024 Correllus State Forest Bioblitz
Held July 19-20, 2024, our second bioblitz of Correllus State Forest tallied more than 300 species across this incredible, 5,300-acre property owned and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.