Louise Zemaitis is an artist and naturalist based in Cape May, New Jersey, where she combines her love of art and nature as a popular field trip leader and instructor. As an Associate Naturalist with New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory, she teaches birding workshops and leads tours that reflect her broad curiosity and enthusiasm for all aspects of natural history.

In addition to her guiding work, Louise has long been active in Cape May’s conservation community. She served as field coordinator for the Monarch Monitoring Project, tracking the migration of these iconic butterflies, and as compiler of the Cape May Christmas Bird Count for many years. Alongside her husband, Michael O’Brien, Louise has guided and mentored young birders at events and conferences across the country, inspiring the next generation of naturalists.

An honors graduate of Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and owner of Swallowtail Studio, Louise works as a freelance artist whose illustrations have appeared in numerous publications. She takes special pride in her role as a mother to two creative sons: Bradley, a conservation educator and artist, and Alec, a library scientist and musician.