Past Issue March 2007
In This Edition:
In this issue: 1) Butterfly Walks & Counts in 2007 1. BUTTERFLY WALKS AND OTHER EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH and APRIL, 2007 Sun. Mar. 11 – Busch C. A. Garden maintenance at the Jim Ziebol Garden, 9:00 a.m., followed by butterfly/bird walk at approx. 10:30 a.m. Thu. Mar. 15 – Butterfly Gardening Program, 2 pm & 7pm, Sappington Gardens, 11530 Gravois. Sun. Mar. 25 – Busch C. A. Garden maintenance at the Jim Ziebol Garden, 9:00 a.m., followed by butterfly walk at approx. 10:30 a.m. Fri. Mar. 30 – Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant, 6:30 p.m. Sun. Apr. 15 – Count at Busch C. A. Meet at the Jim Ziebol Garden 10:00 a.m. Tues. Apr. 17 – "Spring Butterflies" class at St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The class, taught by Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer, is part of the Master Naturalist program. To register, call 314.984.7777 or visit www.stlcc.edu. Sat. Apr. 28 – Walk at Fults Hill Prairie. See story below. 10:00 a.m. Mon. April 30. “ Big Bend National Park”. Video presentation by Jim Ziebol of the flora and fauna of this vast national park located in the Chihuahuan Desert of southwest Texas. 7:00 p.m., St. Louis County Library Headquarters building on Lindbergh just south of Hwy. 40. LOOKING AHEAD FOR 2007: Sat. May 26 – Walk at Tyson Research Center. Meet at Gatehouse 10:00 a.m. Other walks and butterfly events will be scheduled as the year progresses. 2. NABA HOLIDAY PARTY WAS DELIGHTFUL! by Mary-Eileen Rufkahr To paraphrase a line from a holiday song, The weather outside was frightful, but the atmosphere inside was delightful! And that phrase perfectly described the NABA annual holiday party. About twenty members braved frigid temperatures in the teens and gathered at Washington University’s Tyson Research Center on Sunday afternoon, January 28th. Everyone spent the first hour or so catching up on news and events and sampling delicious food brought by all the guests. Next, Dave Larson presented a Powerpoint program of members' photographs put together by Kate Boden. Over seventy photos of butterflies taken by NABA members were included. The butterflies were photographed both locally and on trips taken by members. Dave Berry set up a table with over a dozen containers of wild flower seeds for everyone to take home and plant in their gardens. Dave also gave advice on how and where to plant the seeds in the garden. The party wrapped up by having a drawing for attendance prizes, which included calendars, art work, note cards and other butterfly-themed goodies! As the party came to a close, there was unanimous agreement on two points… the party was an enjoyable event and we are all anxious for “butterfly season" to begin! (Special thanks to Dave Larson for arranging for NABA to hold their holiday potluck party at Tyson!) 3. FREE BUTTERFLY GARDENING PROGRAMS The following two free butterfly gardening programs are being offered by NABA-St. Louis member Tom “Terrific” Krauska: 4. FIELD TRIP TO FULTS HILL PRAIRIE by Yvonne Homeyer Sat. April 28. Field Trip to Fults Hill Prairie. Leaders: Yvonne Homeyer and Sherry McCowan. This 532-acre nature preserve along the Mississippi River bluff in Monroe County, Illinois is owned by the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources. Many different natural communities are present, including loess hill prairie, limestone glades, sink hole ponds, upland forest, and savanna. Access to Fults Hill Prairie is by way of a steep wooden stairway to the top of the bluff, and once on the prairie, the terrain is rugged. Bring water and lunch, and take preventive measures for ticks. Because parking at Fults Hill Prairie is limited, we will meet at 11:00 a.m. in Columbia, IL to carpool and caravan (see directions at end of Calendar). From there, driving time to the prairie is approximately 30 minutes. This field trip offers an opportunity to visit a unique habitat where we will hopefully find good numbers of spring butterflies. Yvonne will have her cell phone on that morning if you need to reach her: 314.600.5526. Fults Hill Prairie DIRECTIONS: From St. Louis County, take I-270 south to I-255 and cross the Jefferson Barracks Bridge into Illinois, then go south on Rt. 3, the first exit. We will meet at 11:00 a.m. at some place in Columbia, IL along Rt. 3 where we can leave cars (exact location TBA in April newsletter). For those who want to drive directly to Fults Hill Prairie, here are the rest of the directions: Take Rt. 3 south to Waterloo. Turn right on Rt. 156, then take the first left onto Lakeview Road (also known as Mayestown Road). After you have passed downtown Mayestown, turn left onto Bluff Road. The site is located on Bluff Road, south of the town of Fults. From the south end of the town of Fults, continue on Bluff Road for 1.6 miles. There will be a small parking area on the left, across from a small brown sign for the site. Yvonne will have her cell phone on that morning if you need to reach her: 314.600.5526. 5. NEW BUTTERFLY and DRAGONFLY PHOTO WEBSITE NABA/St. Louis member Richard Day has created a new website www.illinoisbutterflies.com. It’s a pictorial reference of butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies that he’s photographed in recent years. Many were taken at his and Susan’s sanctuary at their home near Alma, Illinois. For the past 2 years, Richard has been conducting butterfly and dragonfly surveys in Illinois--at Ballard Nature Center near Altamont, Prairie Ridge State Natural Area in Marion and Jasper Counties, and The Upper Little Wabash River Watershed that encompasses several counties. During his research he has documented numerous county records as well as a previously unrecorded state record dragonfly-- Libellula auripennis -Golden winged Skimmer. His survey work will continue through 2007. Take a look at his webpage to help ID species or learn about host plants for Illinois butterflies. 6. SUDOKU PUZZLES ON KID’S CORNER! by Mary-Eileen Rufkahr The hammering and other construction noise you hear coming from the Kids' Corner is a sure sign "expansion" is underway---again! Coming soon will be another great feature to stretch your brain and entertain you! We invite you to visit once the dust has cleared and the Sudoku Puzzle project is completed. Until that time, it will be a "puzzle" for you to figure out! 7. SWAMP METALMARK BUTTERFLY UPDATE by Jim Ziebol The Missouri Dept. of Conservation (MDC) has decided to rank the Swamp Metalmark, Calephelis muticum, as “G3 – Vulnerable.” However, this may not be enough protection, as we’d like to see the Swamp Metalmark listed as state-endangered, where it would be a felony to collect it or disturb its habitat. Such a listing as state-endangered would also provide some protection for the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), which shares the same general habitat as the Swamp Metalmark. 8. MEMBERS IN THE NEWS by Yvonne Homeyer In the Summer/Fall 2006 issue of American Butterflies (the most recent issue), a photograph taken by Dennis Bozzay of a Baltimore Checkerspot is included in an article about that species. Dennis took the photo at Hilda Young Conservation Area. Swamp Metalmarks found by Mary Eileen Rufkahr and Yvonne Homeyer on August 12, 2006 at Victoria Glade were included in Michael Reese's "Hot Seens" column, also in the American Butterflies, Summer/Fall 2006 issue. Our chapter was the focus of the "NABA Chapter News" in the Summer 2006 issue of Butterfly Gardener. Mary Eileen Rufkahr wrote the article highlighting our chapter's walks and events. Ann Earley, Jeannie Moe, Jeff Norris, Mary Eileen Rufkahr and Yvonne Homeyer (plus Teddy) appear in a photo from a spring walk at Busch Conservation Area, and photos by Ron Goetz and Yvonne Homeyer also appear in the article. 9. NABA-ST. LOUIS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION… NEW MEMBERS: YOUR OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, AS OF APRIL 2006: (AT = @ in Email address)
NEWSLETTER ARTICLES WELCOME: MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION: If you would like to join NABA, please fill out this application. You will become a member of both NABA and the local St. Louis Chapter, if you live within the St. Louis metropolitan area or nearby Illinois area: Name ____________________________________________ Dues are $30 (regular) and $40 (family) per year. Please make check payable to NORTH AMERICAN BUTTERFLY ASSOCIATION. Please mail this form with your check to: Scott Marshall, Membership, 609 West Lockwood, St. Louis, MO 63119. |
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes
it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” - Maya Angelou -
Editor: Dave Larson, Email: larsrblATearthlink.net ("AT" = @)
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