During the months of June and July, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) wildlife staff will provide free guided tours showcasing the rare regal fritillary butterflies at Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), near Annville.

Reservations are required and attendance is limited. All attendees, including children, must register at http://www.ftig.isportsman.net/ButterflyTours.aspx and obtain a free permit. To attend a tour, participants must present a permit for that specific date and time slot.

Guided tours will be offered, rain or shine, on Friday, June 30; Saturday, July 1; Friday, July 7; and Saturday, July 8. No rain dates will be provided.

Attendees will be required to travel from the meeting location to the tour location in their personal vehicles. Tours will last approximately one hour plus driving time. Meeting location and parking information will be provided after obtaining a permit.

Visitors of all ages and abilities are welcome to attend. Tours will be on foot on gravel roads and mowed paths. Attendees should bring drinking water and wear appropriate clothing and footwear for uneven terrain. Wandering off the path, into the fields, or away from the tour guide is prohibited. There will be little or no shade on the tour route.

Like many military installations, FTIG is home to a diverse population of plants and animals, many of which are rare and considered species of conservation concern. It is home to 49 species of mammals, 143 species of breeding birds, 37 species of reptiles and amphibians, 35 species of fish, more than 800 species of plants and many notable species of invertebrates, including 86 species of butterflies and more than 500 species of moths.

These species persist at FTIG because it provides an assortment of high-quality habitats. These habitats include rare early successional ecosystems such as grasslands, thickets, shrub lands and young forests, which were created and maintained from disturbances caused by military training, fires and conservation efforts. The installation is home to 1,000 acres of scrub oak and pitch pine barrens and approximately 2,200 acres of native grassland habitat.

FTIG, which serves as headquarters to the DMVA and the Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG), is a live-fire, maneuver military training facility in Pennsylvania. The 17,000-acre installation balances one of the region's most ecologically diverse areas with a military mission that annually supports nearly 18,000 PNG personnel and more than 113,000 additional personnel from other branches of service, multinational partners and interagency partners at the federal, state and local levels.

For general inquiries about the tours, email RA-DMVA-Wildlife@pa.gov or call 717-861-3299.