The Potomac Valley Audubon Society (PVAS) will sponsor a Natural History Workshop on butterflies in late May.

The workshop will have two parts. First, there will be a 7-9 p.m. evening classroom session on Wednesday, May 21, at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown. This will provide an overview of the subject and cover such topics as the life cycle of butterflies, identifying different species, and the species common to this area.

Participants will then join in a 10 a.m.-2 p.m. local-area field trip on Saturday, May 24.

The workshop will be taught by local naturalist Matt Orsie. It will be open to anyone with an interest. However, enrollment will be limited to 16 persons so pre-registration is essential. A fee will also be required.

Easy registration is available on the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org.

The fee for the workshop will be $60 for PVAS members and members of the PVAS’s Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Program, and $65 for the general public.

For the field trip portion of the workshop, participants should plan to wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring along water, bug spray, sunscreen and a snack or bag lunch.

The field trip will have a rain date of May 25.

For more information go to the PVAS website or contact Mr. Orsie at 304-261-5602 or wvbirder@comcast.net.

PVAS’s Natural History Workshops are intended for people who are interested in learning about particular natural history topics in considerable depth but cannot commit to pursue the much more comprehensive natural history education available through PVAS’s Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Program, which can take a year or more to complete.