Butterfly Walks Schedule

Trip Report

Book Review

Classes

New Members; Member Spot Light

Help Wanted (no pay)

Butterfly House Fall Festival

…and more

BUTTERFLY WALKS SCHEDULE:

August 4, Saturday, Kraig Paradise's butterfly garden, 10:00 a.m. For directions or information, please contact Yvonne Homeyer at homeyer@earthlink.net.

August 12, Sunday, Dennis Bozzay's Butterfly Garden, 10:00a.m. For directions or information, please contact Yvonne Homeyer at homeyer@earthlink.net.

August 15 (Wed.), "Talk 'n walks" are slated strictly for beginners Aug. 15 (Wed.) and Sept. 15 (Sat.), 10 am to noon, at Missouri Botanical (Shaw's) Garden 4344 Shaw (North of Tower Grove Park, 2 blocks east of Kingshighway). Learn to identify the butterflies you are most likely to see. Discover which flowers butterflies prefer. We'll walk from Ridgway to the Butterfly Meadow in Kemper. Bring: sun hat, water, pencil and a friend! Questions? Call Linda Virga, Education (314) 544-3313.

August 18, Saturday, Horseshoe Lake State Park, Illinois, 9:45 a.m.
Meet at Big Dugga Truck Stop on Illinois Hwy 203 across from Gateway Racing.

September 9, Sunday, Final State Butterfly Count at Busch Wildlife Area, 10:00 a.m.
Meet at the Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden by the headquarters. These counts have been held since 1992 at over 20 sites across the state. The count data keeps us advised as to how the different species fare over the years. We encourage any gardeners (helpers) to arrive early, at 8:30. The butterfly garden needs some light work, weeding, etc. Anyone can go out during the week and weed or work if they have time. Bob and Claudia Noe have made special trips to water. Several other members have watered or volunteered to do so. Jeannie Moe and Dennis Bozzay are the head gardeners.

September 15 (Sat.), "Talk 'n walks" are slated strictly for beginners Aug. 15 (Wed.) and Sept. 15 (Sat.), 10 am to noon, at Missouri Botanical (Shaw's) Garden 4344 Shaw (North of Tower Grove Park, 2 blocks east of Kingshighway). Learn to identify the butterflies you are most likely to see. Discover which flowers butterflies prefer. We'll walk from Ridgway to the Butterfly Meadow in Kemper. Bring: sun hat, water, pencil and a friend! Questions? Call Linda Virga, Education (314) 544-3313.

September 16, Sunday, Hilda Young Conservation Area (Eureka area), 9:45 a.m.
Directions: from Hwy 109 & W exit off I-44 (westbound), go south on Hwy W 2 miles, then go west on Hwy FF 2.7 miles to well-marked parking lot on left.

October 21, Sunday, Busch Wildlife Area, 9:45 a.m.
Meet at butterfly garden. Bring water, insect repellent, hat, sunscreen, binoculars, field guide, friend. Consider long pants.

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Subject: North American Butterfly Association St. Louis Chapter Walk
Location: Shaw Nature Reserve, Gray Summit, MO
Morning:: Whitmire Flower Garden
Afternoon: Brush Creek, Labadie Trace, West Valley and Wildflower Trails
Date: June 30, 2001

Morning Participants: Leslie Lihou, Dianne Benjamin, David Berry, Audrey Foley, Jim Foley, Annie Marshall, Scott Marshall, Nancy Delaney, Dale Delaney, Ron Goetz, Betty Tanner, Dave Larson, Ann Earley, Bob Siemer, James Trager, Mark Peters, Jeannie Moe.

Afternoon Participants: David Berry, Ron Goetz, Betty Tanner, James Trager, Mark Peters, Jeannie Moe.

Butterflies: 15 Pipevine Swallowtail, 6 Zebra Swallowtail, 4 Black Swallowtail, 5 Giant Swallowtail, 5 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, 1 Spicebush Swallowtail, 2 Cabbage White, 2 Orange Sulphur, 6 Sleepy Orange, 1 Dainty Sulphur, 1 Coral Hairstreak, 1 Banded Hairstreak, 1 Juniper Hairstreak, 30 Eastern Tailed-Blue, 1 Summer Azure, 27 Great Spangled Fritillary, 4 Gorgone Checkerspot, 51 Pearl Crescent, 5 Question Mark, 2 Red Admiral, 5 Common Buckeye, 1 Red-spotted Purple, 5 Goatweed Leafwing, 5 Hackberry Emperor, 20 Little Wood Satyr, 3 Common Wood Nymph, 2 Monarch, 2 Silver-spotted Skipper, 1 Northern Cloudywing, 2 Horace's Duskywing, 3 Wild Indigo Duskywing, 1 Common Checkered-Skipper, 5 Northern Broken-Dash, 1 Dun Skipper.

Other interesting finds were: Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars feeding on pipevine in the Whitmire Flower Garden; a Hummingbird Clearwing moth; dragonflies Widow Skimmer, male and female, Eastern Amberwing, Common Whitetail, Slaty Skimmer, Blue Dasher, Eastern Pondhawk and Clubtail species (Ozark?); Bluet Damselflies; a red-winged grasshopper; a Leaf-footed bug; and a queen ant, Formica nitidiventris, a common woodland species that is occasionally also found in prairies.

Plants in flower:

Daisy fleabane, Long-leaved bluets, Thimbleweed, Beard-tongue, White wild indigo, Ox-eye daisy, Indian hemp, Hedge bindweed, American feverfew, Queen Anne's lace, White avens, Horse nettle, Flowering spurge, Culver's root, Slender mountain mint, White clover, Whorled milkweed, Wild bergamot, Common milkweed, Purple coneflower, Deptford pink, Phlox, Queen of the Prairie, Bouncing bet, Desmodium, Spiderwort, Self-heal, Ironweed, Narrow-leaved vervain, Wild petunia, Skullcap, Germander, Scrufy pea, Purple prairie clover, Winged loosestrife, Blue vervain, New England aster, Purple poppy mallow, Butterfly weed, Michigan lily, Royal catchfly, Hop clover, Rough-fruited cinquefoil, Shrubby and Common St. John's wort, Gray-headed coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis, Yellow crownbeard, Early goldenrod, and Rattlesnake master.

A special thank you to Ron Goetz for sharing his remarkable expertise, knowledge and editing skills; to Mark Peters for bringing his spotting scope and allowing us all to view some astounding close-ups; to Jeannie Moe for recording the plants in bloom; to Dr. James C. Trager, reserve biologist, for participating and sharing his vast knowledge of the animals and plants at Shaw Nature Reserve.

[Many thanks to Betty Tanner and Ron Goetz for leading this walk. Editor.]

Busch Conservation Area Butterfly Count, Sunday, July 8, 2001

Participants: Dennis Bozzay, Peggy Cole, Dale Delaney, Nancy Delaney, Ann Earley, Bob Englebretson, Ron Goetz, Sue Gustafson, Yvonne Homeyer, Terry Kelley, Scott Marshall, Jeannie Moe, Woody Moe, Bob Siemer, Peggy Symes, Kathy Thiele, Linda Virga, Jane Wilson, James Ziebol.

A total of 361 individual butterflies representing 38 species were seen. Sightings included: 78 Pearl Crescents, 29 Eastern Tailed Blues, 26 Least Skippers, 17 Question Marks, and 4 Juniper Hairstreaks,

Observations: Water sources are drying up and remaining water attracts many small species. A really good area, full of nectar sources was practically empty. Southern migrants were scarce. Pearl Crescent, Little Yellow, Eastern Tailed Blue and Least Skipper made up about half of the total individuals. Juniper Hairstreaks were found on Queen Ann's Lace.

Butterflies, butterflies and more butterflies … just not today for the eleventh Shawnee Hills Butterfly Count. The low numbers didn't in any way reduce the enjoyment or the success of the day.

Imagine walking a remote road, away from human sounds and passing a perched northern pearly-eye, little wood satyrs "hopping" through the dense vegetation, and red-spotted purples searching for young wild cherry trees to lay eggs on. Imagine driving gravel roads with great spangled fritillaries, pipevine and tiger swallowtails nectaring on the butterflyweeds. The orange sulphurs, sleepy oranges and cabbage whites flew in the open areas. Picture sitting deep in the Shawnee National Forest, eating lunch in the company of question marks, red admirals, pearl crescents, northern cloudywings and a wild indigo duskywing. We did all this.

It's a shame the count records can't include the two spotted fawns cautiously watching us, the yellow-billed cuckoo calling from the sweet gum tree, the Acadian flycatcher hawking insects or the screaming red shouldered hawk. It can't include the green frog croaking or the list of dragonflies that included white-tailed and spangled skimmers, common pondhawks and amberwings, not to mention the array of wildflowers. The first least skipper flew in the low vegetation edging a pond. We all "oh'd" and "ah'd" over the black winged damselflies with their metallic blue-green bodies.

The count, held on June 30, started with the gardens in my yard. From there we headed south to property I own. After that we mainly drove gravel roads, stopping at any promising spot. The center of the count circle is eight miles south of Harrisburg, and the circle includes farmland, rural areas and mostly Shawnee National Forest. At no place did we find numerous butterflies. In seven hours we tallied 30 species for a total of 180 individuals. Totals for the previous ten Shawnee Hills Butterfly Counts fall between 26 and 42 species.

I started the Shawnee Hills Butterfly Count as a natural extension of my interest in butterflies, and I've been a NABA member since they took the counts over from the Xerxes Society. My youngest son (who was 9 at the time) and I did the first two counts ourselves. Since then the number of observers has ranged between two and eight.

In my opinion the butterfly count's much more than just counting butterflies. It's a day spent with people sharing the same interests. Thanks Yvonne Homeyer, Jim Ziebol, Don Lawrence and Richard Day. It sure was fun.

Our final list included: 7 pipevine swallowtails, 1 black swallowtail, 1 giant swallowtail, 6 eastern tiger swallowtails, 1 spicebush swallowtail, 5 cabbage whites, 6 orange sulphurs, 3 little yellows, 5 sleepy oranges, 1 gray hairstreak, 3 eastern tailed-blues, 33 great spangled fritillaries, 37 pearl crescents, 7 question marks, 2 eastern commas, 1 American lady, 4 red admirals, 9 red-spotted purples, 3 viceroys, 2 hackberry emperors, 1 northern pearly-eye, 26 little wood satyrs, 3 monarchs, 2 northern cloudywings, 1 wild indigo duskywing, 1 Horaces duskywing, 4 least skippers, 1 fiery skipper, 2 little glassywings, and 2 dun skippers.

[Editor's note: Kathy Phelps, a writer and artist, has been a NABA member since Jeffrey Glassberg founded NABA in 1993. Kathy is a skilled naturalist and knows birds and plants as well as butterflies.]

On July 7, we had 30 people attend our Butterfly Walk at Busch. About half were new people who had read about the walk in the Post Dispatch, and some have joined our chapter. Despite the sweltering heat, everybody had a good time. Our most unusual butterfly was the Gray Comma, although it disappeared quickly and was not found again.

On July 14, 19 people showed up at Mark Peters' house to see his stunning 6-acre prairie which is full of wildflowers as well as prairie grasses. The Juniper Hairstreak was the best butterfly of the day, plus there was a good assortment of Swallowtails, Red-spotted Purple, Comma, Question Mark and Red Admiral. Many wildflowers were in bloom, including Bergamot, Purple Coneflower, Tall Bellflower and Self-Heal. Poison Ivy was also present. We were pleased to meet Donna Brunet and Jim, NABA members from Columbia, Missouri.

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A new butterfly book of interest is "Field Guide to Butterflies of Illinois," by John K. Bouseman and James G. Sternburg. I recommend it to anyone interested in field identification. The book covers about 90 species including some that occasionally stray into the St. Louis area such as Meadow Fritillary. The text includes details about physical description, similar species, habitat, natural history, status and remarks. There are multiple photos of each species and range maps. The only drawback is that skippers are not included.

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In cooperation with the St. Louis Audubon Society, the St. Louis Community College at Meramec through the Biology Department and the Continuing Education division proposes to offer a Master Naturalist Certificate Program. The program would consist of three main components:

1. Three core academic courses- Conservation and Ecology (BIO:117), Field Botany (BIO:119) and Field Zoology (BIO:120).

2. Three elective academic courses to be chosen from:

Marine Biology (BIO:144), Field Experience in Marine Biology (BIO:145), Desert Ecology (BIO:146), Field Experience in Desert Ecology (BIO:147), Ozark Ecology, Field Experience in Ozark Ecology, Introduction to Geology (GEO:102), Introduction to Astronomy (PSI:111), Meteorology (PSI:123)

3. Six elective workshops offered through Continuing Education. This semester's workshops include butterfly identification by the St. Louis Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (see details below); snakes, turtles and lizards by the St. Louis Herpetological Society; backyard bird habitat and more by the Webster Groves Nature Study Society; how to lead a nature walk (for any group or society) by the St. Louis Audubon Society; migrating fall birds by the St. Louis Audubon Society; identifying Missouri grasses by the Missouri Native Plant Society.

The workshops range in length from one night to four nights plus one or two field trips. After successful completion of these three components, Master Naturalist Certificates would be awarded. These educated and trained Master Naturalists would then be able to share their knowledge through volunteer and professional opportunities at nature and green facilities in the greater St. Louis area and receive recognition awards from the St. Louis Audubon Society. If you are interested in the Master Naturalist Certificate come to our Open House at Meramec Community College at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 21, 2001 to learn about this exciting new educational and fun opportunity in our community. Meet some of the instructors, find out about the different societies and their membership goals and sign up if you are interested in one or more of the topics.

For location at MCC or for more information please call Vicki Flier. Workshop topics will change each semester. For a schedule of classes please call 314-984-7777.

NABA-St. Louis is offering two Butterfly classes at Meramec Community College as part of the "Master Naturalist" program started by Vicki Flier, Education Chairperson of St. Louis Audubon Society. The classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6 and 13. Participants will be invited to join us on our butterfly walk on Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Hilda Young Conservation Area. The Sept. 6 class will be on the natural history of butterflies and will be taught by Dr. Tom Bratkowski of Maryville University. The Sept. 13 class will be on butterfly identification and will be taught by Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer. It will include information about the life cycle of butterflies as well as a video of local butterflies. To register for the courses, call 314-984-7777 after August 1.

"If You Build It . . . They Will Come": On Saturday, September 15, from 1-3 p.m., Yvonne Homeyer will teach an outdoor class at the Green Center, 8025 Blackberry Avenue in University City. It will consist of a butterfly walk combined with instruction about native Missouri wildflowers that people can plant in their gardens to attract butterflies. The Green Center requires advance registration, charges a nominal fee, and classes are subject to cancellation if not enough people sign up. Call the Green Center for more information or to receive a brochure on all their upcoming events, 314-725-8314, or visit their website at http://www.thegreencenter.com.

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The following people have become members of the St. Louis Chapter of NABA since July 1: Carol Asbury, Dave Berry, Michael Bowers, Tom Houlihan, Susan Jeisy, Dolores Story Kaufman and Alana Kirk.

Glad to have you with us!

One of our informal objectives is to get to know each other while we get to know the butterflies. In an effort to give our members a little more personal information, this newsletter's spot light is shining on NANCY and DALE DELANEY.

Nancy and Dale have had interesting career paths. She is a physician but also a confirmed nature lover. He was a promising engineer who left his job to go bird watching in a Volkswagen camper headed for Central America. Dale was a bird tour guide for VENT for many years. Now he and Nancy have their own tour company, Delaney EcoTours. They are especially looking forward to taking groups to Venezuela (Jan. 2002) and Panama (Apr. 2002). You might have seen their picture on the front of the Everyday section of the Sept. 23, 1997 Post-Dispatch.

Say hello to Nancy and Dale the next time you see them!

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If you can provide ideas or share materials or if you are willing to present programs, please contact the Education Chairwoman, Linda Virga, (314) 544-3313, 9734 Antonia Drive, 63123; e-mail: (June-Aug.) mailto:wylo5683@aol.com or (Sept.-May) virga@mail.lindbergh.k12.mo.us.

We very much need as many members as possible to join in as volunteers to assist with the watering of the Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden at Busch C.A. It involves setting up hoses (with the assistance of Busch staff), letting the sprinkler do its job for an hour or two (while you are out taking a butterfly walk!) and then taking the hoses down and putting them back. It can be done during the week or on the weekend. There also will be a workday at the garden sometime in September. Volunteers should bring shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction for weeding. If you are willing to contribute at least two hours this summer, please let Yvonne Homeyer know as soon as possible: homeyer@earthlink.net). Thanks for your help!

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The Butterfly House is planning a fall festival to be held Sept. 18-22 at its facility at Faust County Park. Our chapter will be distributing information at a table on Saturday, Sept. 22. For more information about the festival, contact our member (the Butterfly House's head of the Education Dept.) Donna Dupske, (636) 530-0076 xtsn 13. To volunteer to work at our table, please call Linda Virga, our Education Chairperson, at (314) 544-3313.

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There was great abundance this spring with many species having exceptional numbers. Mourning Cloak, the duskywings, Red Admiral, some skippers and hairstreaks were numerous. Ron Goetz listed ten hairstreak species and Betty Tanner found the elusive Edward's Hairstreak at Shaw Nature Reserve. The summer months have been slow with a few southern migrants no-shows. Mark Peters had a Harvester at his home this spring which is always a good find. This is the only butterfly in North America with carnivorous larva. They feed on wooly aphids. Three Roadside Skippers, Common (which is never common), Bell's Roadside and Pepper and Salt, were videoed at Tyson this spring.

In late June, Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer showed a video about butterflies to the Joplin Audubon Society at the invitation of Cyndi Evans, a naturalist at Prairie State Park. In July, Linda Virga gave a presentation about butterflies to 100 Girl Scouts at a camp in north county, and Yvonne Homeyer talked about butterflies and showed a video to a group of women in the PEO (Philanthropic and Educational Organization) in Granite City, Ill. They generously donated $20 to our chapter. Tom Bratkowski will speak to the Missouri Nature & Environmental Photographers at the St. Louis County Library, Main Branch, on Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Jim Ziebol and Dave Larson teamed up to create a very distinctive stationery design for our chapter. Jim Ziebol did the artwork and Dave Larson did the layout. A Gray Comma and a Monarch are in the left and right upper corners, and superimposed upon the name of our organization and chapter is Jim's sketch of the Arch. A large Skipper acts like a watermark. Thank you, Jim and Dave!

Tom Bratkowski reports that Ames School/ Old North St. Louis Butterfly Garden recently won an award from Gateway Greening for the best urban wild flower garden. Nice work guys!

President: Yvonne Homeyer
Vice President: Dianne Benjamin
Secretary: Ann Earley
Treasurer: Tom Krauska
Butterfly Gardening: Jeannie Moe
Conservation: Jim Ziebol
Education: Linda Virga
Membership: Dennis Bozzay
Newsletter: Scott Marshall
Public Relations: Anne Craver
Walks & Counts: Jim Ziebol
Webmaster: Dave Larson

If you have questions or suggestions, e-mail Yvonne Homeyer
(homeyer@earthlink.net).

The next Board meeting will be Thursday, August 23, 7:00 P.M. at Yvonne Homeyer's house, 1508 Oriole.

VISIT OUR WEB SITE at http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/stlouis.htm. Our Webmaster is Dave Larson.

If you have a newsletter item (announcement, article, useful information, funny story, etc.), please pass it on to the Newsletter Editor, Scott Marshall at (314) 961-0977, Scottmarshll@cs.com.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
(or view online membership application form)

If you or someone you know would like to become a member of the St. Louis Chapter of NABA, please fill out this application:

Name _____________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________
City _______________________ State _______ Zip_________
Phone ( ) _______________ e-mail _________________

Dues are $25 per year. Please make check payable to NORTH AMERICAN BUTTERFLY ASSOCIATION.
Please mail this form with your check to: Ann Earley, Secretary, 1425 Bobolink, St. Louis, MO 63144.

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Editor: Scott Marshall, Email: scottmarshll@cs.com
Suggestions, Corrections and Articles are appreciated.

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