Past Issue July 2007
In This Issue:
1) Calendar of Chapter Events 1. CALENDAR OF CHAPTER EVENTS Please note that there is a $3 fee per participant on every 4 th of July Count. Each assigned territory will have an experienced leader. Beginners are welcome. Directions are shown below. Our web site has also been updated to include a “Directions” page where you will find directions to all the places NABA goes on our field trips. July 1 (Sunday): Fourth of July Count at Busch C. A. Meet at the Butterfly Garden, 9:45 a.m. Groups should be finished between 12:30 and 1:00. Lunch in the Pavilion behind the Visitor’s Center. July 14 (Saturday): Fourth of July Count at Shaw Nature Reserve. Meet at the Visitor’s Center at 9:45 a.m. Lunch at the Trail House between 12:30 and 1:00. We will have a gate key so we can drive to the Trail House but we must all leave together. At least one group will be assigned to an area closer to the Visitor’s Center so if you need flexibility about when you leave, join that group. The Shaw management has very graciously waived the usual entrance fee for Count participants. Aug. 26 (Sunday): NABA Seasonal Count at Horseshoe Lake; meet at 9:45 a.m. at the Burger King on Illinois Hwy. 203 across from Gateway International Racetrack. Busch Wildlife Conservation Area: From St. Louis County, take I-64 (Hwy 40) across the Missouri River bridge and exit at Hwy. 94. Go left (south) on Hwy 94 approximately 1 mile to Hwy D. Turn right onto Hwy D and go about 1.5 miles to the entrance on your right. Turn right and at the T intersection, turn right again and proceed to the parking lot at the Visitor's Center. Meet at the Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden at the bottom of the parking lot. Shaw Nature Reserve: From I-270 and I-44, take I-44 west for approx. 23 miles to Hwy. 100/Gray Summit exit (#253). Turn left and cross over highway, then turn right onto road. Proceed 1/10 of a mile and turn left into the entrance. Meet in parking lot by Visitor’s Center. Field Trips: Beginners and children accompanied by adults are welcome on every butterfly walk and count. Water, hat, sunscreen, and insect repellant are recommended, as is lunch or a light snack. 2. NABA ON SHOW ME ST. LOUIS! (Mary Eileen Rufkahr) Lights, Camera, Action! The St. Louis chapter of the North American Butterfly Association was recently featured on an episode of KSDK-Channel 5's [the number one rated TV station in the St. Louis area] afternoon video magazine, Show Me St. Louis. NABA members met the "Show Me" crew at Busch Conservation Area on Wednesday morning, June 6th. Participants included: Mary Hillebrand, Yvonne Homeyer, Terry Kelley, Tom "Terrific" Krauska, Anne McCormack, Jeannie Moe, Jeff Norris, Kraig Paradise, Kevin Renick, Jim Ziebol and Mary Eileen Rufkahr. The group waited excitedly for the video crew to arrive. The day was "picture perfect:" Clear blue skies, warm temperatures, little wind. Milling around the Ziebol garden, a little butterfly watching was squeezed in, noting fritillaries, sulphurs and a few skippers. Finally, the " Hollywood moment" arrived; show host Wendy Erikson and her cameraman Todd entered the garden. Both Wendy and Todd showed genuine interest and enthusiasm for our group, the garden and the butterflies zipping about. Todd spent much time gathering footage, while Wendy talked to different members. Todd took close-ups of nectaring butterflies, members "at work" in the garden and the group on a mini walk around the garden. Next, Wendy interviewed Jim, Yvonne, Jeannie and Tom about various butterfly-related topics. Wendy expressed regret that the finished piece could only be about three minutes long. . .they had such good footage and interviews. Wendy and Todd zipped back to the TV studio to work on getting our story ready for airing the next day, Thursday, June 7th. Finally, at 3:00 PM, the moment arrived. . .the Show Me St. Louis intro came out over the airwaves and the NABA story was the first one featured. Wendy presented our story to the viewing public and the final result was great! We were presented as a fun, knowledgeable, conservation-oriented group. KSDK has set up a link to access the text and video of the story: text at http://tinyurl.com/2lzscy, video at http://tinyurl.com/29axdg, or to make it even easier, just search "Beautiful Butterflies" at www.ksdk.com. Dave Larson has also posted the show on our chapter web site at http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/tvradio.htm. 3. HORSESHOELAKE 4 TH OF JULY COUNT (Mary Eileen Rufkahr) NABA/St. Louis members headed to Horseshoe Lake in nearby Illinois on Sunday, June 3, for the annual Fourth of July Count. The day couldn't have been better for a butterfly outing. . . . the skies were clear, the sun was warm and breezes were light. Participants for the count included: Kent Fothergill, Yvonne Homeyer, Tom "Terrific" Krauska, Sherry McCownan, Jeannie Moe, Jeff Norris, Kraig Paradise (and Ellie), Linda Virga, Jim Ziebol, Mary Eileen Rufkahr and guests Mary Hillebrand, Evelyn Luecke and Bob Steinberg. The participants broke up into three groups, in order to cover a greater amount of territory. Many species were spotted including an abundance of Pearl Crescents, two individuals of the rarely seen Gray Copper, several Duke’s Skippers, and 14 Broad-winged Skippers. (In our area, the Broad-wings are only known to occur at Horseshoe Lake.) Additionally, members also saw Black Swallowtail, Checkered White, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Gray Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed-Blue, American Snout, Question Mark, American Lady, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Hackberry Emperor, Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, Common Sootywing, Tawny-edged Skipper, Northern Broken-Dash, Delaware Skipper and Dun Skipper. Thanks to Tom Krauska's "sharp eyes," we also had the opportunity to see Orange Sulphur eggs on clover and soybeans, Black Swallowtail eggs on Queen Anne's Lace, and a Silver-spotted Skipper Caterpillar. After a "hard day's" work in the field, most of the group then headed to Tienda El Ranchito for authentic Mexican food and good conversation. 4. BIG OAKTREESTATE PARK 4 TH OF JULY COUNT (Kent Fothergill) Here is the official tally of the first Big Oak Tree State Park Fourth of July Count, Big Oak Tree SP 10June07. (Total # follows each species listed) Horace's Duskywing 2 Species = 33 Individuals = 642 5. JUNE BUTTERFLY REPORT (Yvonne Homeyer) St. Louis area: We started June off with our chapter’s first Fourth of July Count, which took place at Horseshoe Lake on 6/3. The count date was timed to coincide with the June flight period of Broad-winged Skipper and Duke’s Skipper, both of which were seen. Highlights included 11 Black Swallowtails, 4 Checkered Whites, Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, 1 Southern Dogface, 4 Painted Ladies, 4 American Ladies, 6 Question Marks, 5 Snouts, 1 Buckeye, 16 Monarchs, 3 Common Sootywings, 60+ Delaware Skippers, 14 Broad-winged Skippers, 2 Duke’s Skippers, and a Silver-spotted Skipper caterpillar (spotted by Tom Terrific). Tom’s sharp eyes also observed an Orange Sulphur laying eggs on clover and soybeans, and Black Swallowtail eggs resting on Queen Anne’s Lace. Thanks to Jim Ziebol (coordinator), Sherry McCowan, Mary Eileen Rufkahr, Kent Fothergill (who drove up from Sikeston), Tom Terrific, Jeannie Moe, Jeff Norris, Kraig Paradise (and Ellie), Linda Virga, and guests Ev Luecke, Mary Hillebrand, and Bob Steinberg for making this one of our best counts ever. One Snout, 6 Question Marks, 12 Hackberries, and 2 Southern Cloudywings were highlights of Yvonne Homeyer’s visit to Busch Conservation Area on 6/2. On 6/4, Mary Eileen Rufkahr reported 3 Monarchs, one Painted Lady, one Red Admiral and one Little Glassywing at Blanchette Park . At Victoria Glade, Jim Ziebol found 4 Swamp Metalmarks on 6/8, 4 on 6/12, and 2 on 6/14 (with Linda Virga). During Jim’s trip to Victoria Glade on 6/12, he also found a rare Eufala Skipper and a Gorgone Checkerspot. On 6/11, Mark Peters found the first Coral Hairstreak of the year at his Jefferson County prairie, along with another first-of-the-year, a Gray Comma. By 6/19, when Dennis Bozzay visited Victoria Glade, no Swamp Metalmarks were seen, but Dennis did find 6 Pipevine, 1 Spicebush, 1 Black, and 1 Giant Swallowtail, 1 Coral Hairstreak, 1 Juniper Hairstreak, 1 Eastern Tailed-Blue, 4 Great Spangled Fritillaries, 3 Gorgone Checkerspots, 20+ Pearl Crescents, 1 Question Mark, 1 American Lady, 3 Wood Nymphs, 2 Little Wood Satyrs, 1 Horace’s Duskywing, and 1 Little Glassywing, for a total of 16 species, 1 of which was new for the year. On 6/17, Yvonne Homeyer and Jim Ziebol checked two areas in Cuivre River State Park for Swamp Metalmarks (none found), but they did see 4 Red-spotted Purples, 2 Northern Pearly-eyes, 1 Zebra Swallowtail, 1 Monarch, 1 Cloudless Sulphur, and 1 ByssusSkipper. At Klondike Park in St. Charles County on 6/19, Yvonne and Evelyn Luecke saw a Little Yellow, Zebra Swallowtail, several Great Spangled Fritillaries, and a Northern Broken Dash. Jeannie Moe and Jim Ziebol also visited Klondike Park on 6/19 and found a Hickory Hairstreak there. At Frontier Park in St. Charles on 6/20, Mary Eileen Rufkahr reported 25 Cabbage Whites, 2 Spicebush Swallowtails, and 1 Eastern Tailed-Blue. A Coral Hairstreak was the best butterfly seen by Yvonne and Evelyn Luecke on their trip to Cuivre River State Park on 6/23; other highlights were numerous Pipevine Swallowtails, a Byssus Skipper, a Red-spotted Purple, several Little Wood Satyrs, and 2 Northern Pearly-eyes. A total of 34 species and 250 individuals were reported during the Count held at Busch Conservation Area on 6/24. This was the third of four annual counts conducted by our chapter for the Mo. Dept. of Conservation. Tom O’Gorman, Dave Berry, Jeannie Moe, Mary-Eileen Rufkahr, Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer participated, along with 16 visitors (see Mary Eileen’s article below). All six Swallowtail species were seen (Pipevine, Zebra, Black, Giant, Tiger and Spicebush); the extremely long tails of one of the Zebras were impressive as she flitted around a Paw-paw tree as if preparing to lay eggs. Highlights included a Juniper Hairstreak (on Common Milkweed), a Viceroy laying eggs on a willow, 8 Snouts, 11 Question Marks, 4 Eastern Commas, 1 Painted Lady, 11 Little Wood Satyrs, 3 Monarchs, 1 Horace’s Duskywing, 2 Wild Indigo Duskywings, and 25 Least Skippers. On 6/26 at Busch C.A. , Jim Ziebol and Jeannie Moe reported 4 Juniper Hairstreaks (on Queen Anne’s Lace), 1 Dainty Sulphur , and 1 Cloudless Sulphur . Five Checkered Whites were seen at Horseshoe Lake on 6/30 (JZ). Bootheel Sightings: Kent Fothergill started a 4 th of July Count at Big Oak Tree State Park, which held its debut on 6/10. Kent, Kelly Tindall, Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer participated. The count circle included two conservation areas as well as the park. Highlights of the count were sightings of 40 Zebra Swallowtails, including a caterpillar, a Pipevine Swallowtail laying eggs, 119 Orange Sulphurs, 2 Southern Dogface, a Harvester that granted its admirers terrific photo opportunities, 10 Bronze Coppers, 1 American Copper, 37 Snouts, 5 Variegated Fritillaries, 259 Pearl Crescents, 2 American Ladies, 4 Buckeyes, 4 Red-spotted Purples, 3 Viceroys, 2 Tawny Emperors, one Creole Pearly-eye, and 3 Clouded Skippers. In all, 33 species and 642 individuals were tallied. A good time was had by all, and Kent kindly donated one of his bait stations to our chapter. (See total list of species seen elsewhere in this newsletter.) A Yehl Skipper was an exciting find by Kent late in June at Big Oak Tree S.P. Garden & Other Reports: One Eastern-tailed Blue, 2 Red Admirals, and a Monarch visited Mary Eileen’s garden on 6/7; on 6/9, she saw Cabbage White and Silver-spotted Skipper, plus another Monarch, Eastern Tailed-Blue, and Red Admiral. A Summer Azure, Pearl Crescent and Pipevine Swallowtail were seen at Mary Eileen’s garden on 6/14. A Tiger Swallowtail visited Sherry McCowan’s Soulard garden on 6/14, and a Tiger was flying around Brentwood Forest in late June (YH). Two Black Swallowtail caterpillars seen on 6/18 in Linda Virga’s herb garden pupated. Linda also saw a fresh Question Mark on 6/18, and on 6/22 she had a Snout in her yard (there is a Hackberry tree nearby). On 6/12, Tom Terrific saw a Zebra Swallowtail in his south county garden. Paw-paw, the host tree, is scarce in the suburbs so this is a good yard butterfly! Another Zebra Swallowtail was seen in Anne McCormack’s garden in Kirkwood. Anne does have a Paw-paw tree and the Zebra was flying around it. On 6/23, Dave Berry counted 20 species in his St. Peters garden, including Gray Hairstreak, Snout, American Lady, Pipevine Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Orange Sulphur, Cabbage White, Buckeye, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Summer Azure, Silver-spotted Skipper, Sachem, Dun Skipper, Fiery Skipper, and Horace’s Duskywing. A Red-spotted Purple on 6/24 was a good yard butterfly (Linda Virga). On 6/26, Mary Eileen saw 15 Cabbage Whites, 3 Summer Azures, 1 Spicebush Swallowtail, 1 Dun, and 2 Monarchs. Contributors: Dave Berry, Kent Fothergill, Yvonne Homeyer, Evelyn Luecke, Anne McCormack, Sherry McCowan, Jeannie Moe, Bob & Claudia Noe, Mary-Eileen Rufkahr, Tom Terrific, Kelly Tindall, Linda Virga, Belle Warden, Jim Ziebol. Bold indicates first sighting of the year. 6. CHAPTER ACTIVITIES & MEMBER NEWS GARDEN PARTY – Mary Eileen Rufkahr. The garden of Sue Gustafson and David Rabenau wasthe place to be on Friday night, June 22nd. NABA/St. Louis hosted their second annual summer garden party that evening from 6 until well after 9 PM. Guests arriving at the lovely Webster Groves home were greeted by the friendly tail-wagging of Owen Gustafson-Rabenau who was also the "official snack taster" of the evening. Everyone lingered around the garden, admiring Sue and David's two level pond and their many beautiful plants, bushes, trees and flowers. On the spacious deck, a large buffet of snacks, appetizers and desserts were laid out. Dave Berry was busy in the kitchen grilling plate after plate of his "famous" Rueben sandwiches. Soon, people found a comfy lawn chair, settled in with their dinner, and chatted with fellow NABA members and guests. Warm breezes and the clear, starry night made for a memorable experience. Special thanks go to Sue and David for so graciously offering their home for the event! [Editor’s Note: We also want to thank both Mary Eileen for coordinating the event and bringing such a variety of food and drink, and Dave Berry for grilling his tasty Reuben sandwiches, which he served with onion rings and fries. Thanks again, Sue and David, for your hospitality. A good time was had by all!] BUTTERFLY COUNT AT BUSCH – Mary Eileen Rufkahr The morning did not bode well for a successful Missouri Department of Conservation countat Busch Conservation Area on Sunday, June 24th. Skies were cloudy and rain was falling intermittently. NABA/St. Louis members were not to be deterred though! Meeting at the Butterfly Garden were members Dave Berry, Yvonne Homeyer, Jeannie Moe, Tom O'Gorman, Jim Ziebol and Mary Eileen Rufkahr. There were also 16 guests who read about the count in the Saturday calendar section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. Yvonne and Jim gave a welcome to the guests and gave a brief explanation of NABA and how today's count would be conducted. As everyone divided up into their cars, the sun broke through, the humidity and temperatures rose and the butterflies came out in full force. The guests on the count ranged from beginners to those familiar with butterflies and everybody was very helpful in spotting and identifying many of the individuals. Over 30 individual species were noted, including Zebra Swallowtail, Red Spotted Purple, Monarch, Snout, Viceroy (laying eggs), Giant Swallowtail, and Least Skipper. A Juniper Hairstreak was seen by those in Yvonne’s car as Dave Berry spotted it on some Common Milkweed blooming alongside the road. As people headed back to the visitor's pavilion for a small break before heading home, all agreed it had been both a successful and enjoyable day! KRAIG PARADISE IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Mary Eileen Rufkahr NABA/St. Louis members continue to make the news! Kraig Paradise's butterfly-friendly garden was featured in a full page story in the North County Journals on Wednesday, June 27th. The article, written by Jan Pollack, highlighted how Kraig has planted over 60 varieties of wildflowers in an effort to attract both butterflies and birds (as well as other wildlife) to his garden. In the article, Kraig comments how he has seen 50 types of butterflies, in his garden so far this summer. The article also goes on to talk about how Kraig has gardened for 18 years and how he incorporates his passion for gardening into his work as a speciali education teacher. Along with the text, several photos were featured, including one of Kraig standing next to milkweed, as well as one of purple poppy mallow and another highlighting butterfly weed. Kraig's story is available online by clicking: http://tinyurl.com/2ydvp2. [Editor’s Note: Dave Larson, our Web Master, has included the story on our chapter web site: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/news1.htm]. 7. MONARCH WAYSTATIONS (Yvonne Homeyer) Two more gardens have been designated as Monarch Waystations by Monarch Watch: the Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden, a NABA-St. Louis project at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Busch Wildlife Area in St. Charles County, and Bob & Claudia Noe’s garden in Chesterfield. Three kinds of milkweed – Butterfly, Swamp and Common – are found in the NABA garden at Busch. Last month, the gardens of Linda Virga, Mary Eileen Rufkahr and Yvonne Homeyer were certified. Members Tom and Gloria Bratkowski are very active with Monarch Watch in their community and they have started a butterfly garden at a city school in their neighborhood. Go to:www.monarchwatch.org to get YOUR garden added to the list! 8. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS President Jim Ziebol (314)781-7372 9. NEWSLETTER ARTICLES WELCOME Please send articles, stories, photos, or suggestions for this "Flutterby News" newsletter to: Yvonne Homeyer, Interim Editor, 314.963.7750; swampmetalmarkATsbcglobal.net. Each Newsletter issue is also found online at: www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/newsltr.htm. 10. 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: Yvonne Homeyer, Email: swampmetalmarkATsbcglobal.net ("AT" = @)
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