News and Events

We would like to take the occasion of the 56th anniversary of Earth Day to announce the opening of the Habitats of North Carolina Website. The mission of the NCBP is to compile information about biodiversity in all of its forms and make it as widely available to the North Carolina public as we can. Biodiversity is more than just long lists of species: it includes all of their myriad interactions, both with one another and with the non-living parts of their environment. This website focuses on a key aspect of species’ ecology, their habitat. These are the places in which a species has evolved its relationships to the world and which are as much of a characteristic feature of their existence as their morphology, physiology, and behavior. In fact, all of those aspects have been strongly shaped by the interactions of the species with its habitat. Our new website highlights these connections but without losing sight of the species themselves. We hope to accomplish the same detailed appreciation for the high diversity of habitats we have here in North Carolina as we have accomplished for individual species through our taxonomic websites.

Parts 1 and 2 of the The Odonata of North Carolina were recently published in the Bulletin of American Odonatology, detailing all of the dragonfly and damselfly species found in the state. They are available in the Publications section of the Resources tab. 

NCBP Member Carol Tingley helped complete a revision of the millipede genus Apheloria. Read more in the Posts section.

The NCBP annual meeting will be held March 1 at William B. Umstead State Park.

Read our special edition newsletter commemorating the life and work of Bo Sullivan in the Posts section of the website.

This WUNC article about the upcoming moth night at Hollow Rock Nature Preserve features an interview with David Bradley of the Durham County Open Space Program. Bradley shares details about the NCBP survey of the New Hope Floodplain, and the threats faced by insect populations.

https://www.wunc.org/environment/2024-08-16/moth-night-durham-county-biodiversity-population-decline

The NCBP is excited to announce the launch of the Myriapods of North Carolina Website!

The Moths of North Carolina authors announce the addition of the 3,000th moth species to the state list.

The NCBP is beginning a year-long biodiversity survey at White Pines Nature Preserve in Chatham County in conjunction with the NC Natural Heritage Program's county-wide survey.

A new Guide to North Carolina's Freshwater Fishes has been published by the University of North Carolina Press.

Identification guides for dragonflies, damselflies, frogs and toads have been added to the resource section.

The NCBP is excited to announce the launch of the Reptiles of North Carolina website, documenting the 75 species of snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians found in our state.

A quick ID guide for common spiders has been added to the Resources section.

This follow-up to the NCBP's New Hope Bottomlands survey was presented to the Durham Open Space Program, and focuses on some of the key species of conservation concern, including the Big Shellbark Hickory. Read the full report under the Resources > Publications tab.

The North Carolina Biodiversity Project announces the launch of its redesigned website. 

A 24-hour bioblitz event will be held at Grandfather Mountain State Park beginning at 8:00 AM on June 17. NCBP members and the public are encouraged to attend!

Read the full text of the paper by Gary Perlmutter et al. in the Publications section of the Resources tab.

The 2023 annual meeting of the North Carolina Biodiversity Project will be held March 12 at William B. Umstead State Park.

The NCBP announces the completion of the report for the 2021-2022 survey of the New Hope Creek floodplain in Durham County. This multi-taxa survey assessed the current status of biodiversity in the study area, and the report recommends measures to preserve the integrity of this rich ecosystem.