Coming Events (don't miss the Holiday Party)

Looking Back on the Year

Members in the News

Documenting with Photography Article

Conservation Report

Master Naturalist Certificate

Member Spot Light

Gift Idea

... and more

NABA's MISSION STATEMENT:
To promote nonconsumptive, recreational butterflying and to increase the public's enjoyment, knowledge and conservation of butterflies.

December 9 Sunday 3pm, NABA Holiday Party plus Mostly Missouri Prairie Wildflowers slideshow by Lee and Torrey Berger at their home in Town & Country, MO. (For directions or more information, please contact Yvonne Homeyer homeyer@earthlink.net).
Let's join together for good fun, great eats, and gorgeous looks at prairie wildlife. Everyone will receive a copy of the newly revised 45 page booklet "Public Prairies of Missouri". Appetizers, desserts, and holiday treats are welcome!

January 11 Friday 7:30 pm, Identifying Local Dragonflies by Jane Walker and Joe Smentowski at St. Louis County Library Headquarters, East Room, 1640 South Lindbergh across from Plaza Frontenac, (314) 994-3300.
We are delighted to co-sponsor this informative program with Webster Groves Nature Study Society (WGNSS). Jane is an instructor at Tyson Research Center's Field Science Program. Joe is a retired science teacher from Mary Institute/Country Day School, Washington University, and Webster University. You will not want to miss this!

February 24 Sunday 2:30 pm, Colorado Butterflies Part II Slide Presentation by Dennis Bozzay at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, 11715 Cragwold, Kirkwood, MO 63122, (314) 301-1500.
Can't get enough of those fabulous western butterflies! Dennis teamed up with Jim Ziebol on another trip to Colorado this past summer. Come early to explore the wooded trails, cozy up by the fireplace, watch birds at feeders from a comfy couch next to a big picture window, or hit the gift shop for winter bargains!

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Dear NABA-St. Louis Members,

As our second year draws to a close, we have much to celebrate. We have doubled the number of members in our chapter since the beginning of the year. Our newsletter, ably managed by editor Scott Marshall with assistance from Annie Marshall, has been expanded to include more articles and provide you with more information. Our web site is continually improved by Dave Larson, our webmaster, who took it over from its creator, Tom Krauska. (To access it, go www.naba.org, then click on "Local Chapters"). Our chapter brochure will be available shortly, under the creative guidance of Dave Larson.

Our chapter now sponsors two NABA "4th of July" butterfly counts. Jim Ziebol (Counts Chairperson) started our chapter's counts at Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County and Horseshoe Lake in Madison County, Illinois. In addition, individuals who are now chapter members are in charge of three other 4th of July counts that each started several years ago: Samantha Ruffini runs the count at Shaw Nature Reserve, Kathy Phelps manages the count in the Shawnee National Forest near Harrisburg, Illinois, and Susan Dees handles the count in Springfield, Illinois.

Our educational outreach program is expanding. Dr. Tom Bratkowski and Jim Ziebol continue to teach a class each spring and fall at Meramec Community College on the natural history and sight identification of butterflies. Linda Virga (Education Chairperson) started summer walks for beginners at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Jean Racowsky has begun a Docent program for elementary schools and Bob Noe, Jim & Audrey Foley, Betty Manlin and Bonnie Gayton have volunteered to work with her. Dennis Bozzay will teach two classes in the spring on butterfly gardening offered through the adult education programs of the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) and Jefferson College in Hillsboro.

The Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden at Busch Conservation Area continues to thrive thanks to the time, energy, dedication and gardening skills of numerous volunteers, including Dennis Bozzay (Butterfly Gardening Chairperson), Terry Kelley, Bob & Claudia Noe, Scott & Annie Marshall, Jim & Audrey Foley, Leslie Lihou, Mark Peters, Ann Earley, Dale & Nancy Delaney, Jeannie Moe, Betty Tanner and others. Many of our members have butterfly gardens at their homes, and this year Kraig Paradise and Dennis Bozzay opened their gardens to us for a visit. (Next year we will visit other members' gardens). A large crowd heard Dennis Bozzay, Kraig Paradise, and Jack Harris speak and present slides at our Butterfly Gardening program in March; Jeannie Moe's packets of free seeds for native Missouri wildflowers were popular, too. Jim Foley has volunteered to look into "Highway Wildflowers" programs in other states to see if we can start something similar in Missouri. Dianne Benjamin (Vice President) and Bob & Claudia Noe have talked to local bookstores about putting Jeffrey Glassberg's Butterflies through Binoculars: the East on their shelves.

We have more leaders for our butterfly walks. Besides Jim Ziebol, who has taught us so much, Dennis Bozzay, Betty Tanner, Ron Goetz, Kraig Paradise, Jeannie Moe, Linda Virga and Yvonne Homeyer have also led groups. Photographs by Tom Krauska and Dennis Bozzay can be found on our chapter web site in the Photo Gallery section. Butterfly videos by Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer have been used in NABA programs and classes.

Your Board of Directors is a dynamic team. In addition to those mentioned already, Tom Krauska (Treasurer) keeps our finances in order, Ann Earley (Secretary) maintains the membership database, Dianne Benjamin plans our programs, and Anne Craver (Public Relations) publicizes our events. All our officers and directors deserve a special thanks for their commitment and enthusiasm in carrying out their jobs. Thanks also to Scott & Annie Marshall, Vicki Flier, and Torrey & Lee Berger for sharing their homes for NABA meetings and events in the past year.

We hope more of you will get involved in our chapter's activities in the coming year. The more people who are involved, the more we can do. New ideas are endless! If you have a talent or interest that you want to share with us, or if you would like to get more involved in any way, please let us know!

Another way that you can support our chapter is with financial contributions. Because NABA is a 501(c)(3) corporation, donations are tax-deductible. Contributions of any amount are welcome. Just make your check out to NABA-St. Louis and mail it to Tom Krauska, 9016 Robyn, St. Louis, Mo. 63126. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated and will allow us to expand our work in the coming year.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Yvonne Homeyer, President

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MEMBERS IN THE NEWS:
LINDA VIRGA AND ANNE McCORMACK MAKE NEWS

Our own Linda Virga (Chapter Education Chairperson) was featured in a very nice article which appeared in the October 19 issue of the South County Times. The article describes Linda's devotion to her third grade students and her yard. Fellow member Anne McCormack and her yard were written up recently in the Post-Dispatch. Good work Linda and Anne!

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DOCUMENTING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY:
By Yvonne Homeyer

The videos that Jim Ziebol and I take have given us a lot of personal enjoyment but recently they proved to be useful at documenting a species of butterfly as well. On our October trip to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, we were excited to find a large number of freshly-emerged Silver-banded Hairstreaks at Laguna Atascosa NWR. This small butterfly is lime green with a prominent white stripe across the hindwing. It is stunning! We had not found this butterfly on our previous three butterfly trips to the Valley so we felt extremely fortunate to have seen so many fresh, bright individuals.

When we got back to the home of our friend Ellie Thompson (who has converted her ½ acre front yard into a small butterfly park - "garden" doesn't quite say enough), there was a small green hairstreak right in front of us. Jim and I both filmed it - another beautiful Silver-banded. It was only when we got back to St. Louis that Jim discovered it was not a Silver-banded at all! What we had found in Ellie's yard and documented with our camcorders was a rare Xami Hairstreak. We shared the picture with Mike Quinn, who runs the TexButterfly Listserve, and he confirmed our belated identification. Without our videos, we would have missed an opportunity to identify and document the presence of a rare butterfly species.

Photography of all kinds is an important tool for identifying and documenting butterflies. Of course, photographs are also pretty to look at! We have several photographers in our group that we know of - Dennis Bozzay, Richard Day, Tom Krauska, Annie Marshall. Are there any others out there? We welcome your additions to our Photo Gallery that Dave Larson maintains. If you want to share a photo, please email Dave: larsrblATearthlink.net ("AT" = @).

To view these two hairstreaks, see Page 95 of Butterflies through Binoculars: the West by Jeffrey Glassberg.

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CONSERVATION REPORT:
By Yvonne Homeyer & Jim Ziebol

On Nov. 14 and 15, a hearing concerning the proposed Holnam cement plant project was held in Jefferson City before a hearing officer for the Clean Water Commission. Four organizations - Webster Groves Nature Study Society, Coalition for the Environment, Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club and American Bottom Conservancy - appealed the DNR's issuance of a 401 certification to Holnam. The Environmental Law Clinic of Washington University represented the four groups. We will keep you posted as to the outcome of the appeal.

Three federally endangered species have now been found on or near the Holnam property: Indiana Bat, Gray Bat and Pallid Sturgeon (in the Mississippi River). The Corps is expected to make a decision early next year on whether to grant Holnam a permit, deny the permit, or require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

To support the Coalition for the Environment's media campaign promoting its web site, www.stopholnam.com, your Board approved a donation of $200 to the Coalition's tax-deductible Foundation. The Coalition is advertising its web site on a billboard at I-270 & I-55, on Bi-State buses and on local radio stations. If you would like to make an individual contribution to help keep the media campaign going, make your check payable to "Coalition for the Environment Foundation" and mail it to 6267 Delmar, 2nd Floor, St. Louis, MO 63130. Earmark your check for "Holnam PR campaign" and be sure to include "Foundation" - that's what makes your contribution tax-deductible.

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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) and 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; amphibians 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; spring birds by the St. Louis Audubon Society; identifying spring wildflowers by the Missouri Native Plant Society; and new this semester is the backyard astronomy by the St. Louis Astronomical Society. The workshops range in length from one night to four nights plus one or two field trips. Workshop topics change each semester.

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 call Continuing Education at 314-984-7777 or for more information call Vicki Flier.

The NABA workshop will be LOCAL BUTTERFLIES: IDENTIFICATION AND NATURAL HISTORY on Thursdays, April 11 and April 18, 2002 from 6:30 - 8:30p.m. with a field trip on Saturday, April 27 9:45 a.m.-noon.

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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 LESLIE LIHOU.

Leslie taught elementary school for 30 years and recently retired. During the last few year of teaching, Leslie and her third grade classes developed a small prairie plot with the advice of Linda Virga and others. Over the years the kids planted and cultivated the garden until it had some diversity. Several times her students found monarch larva on the milkweed. A sixth grade class used it extensively as an outdoor classroom, including observing and tagging monarch butterflies.

During summers of her teaching career, Leslie explored Europe, Mexico, Indonesia, China, participated in Earth watches in Zimbabwe and Australia, and camped her way through most of the U.S., including a "field trip" to Hawaii. Since retiring she has traveled in India, Bhutan and Nepal. She has trekked around Annapurna mountain and Chitwan NP in Nepal. While in India she rode camel in Rajastan and visited ancient Ajanta caves carved in cliff and painted sumptuously with life of Buddha.

Leslie says she is invigorated and revitalized by the outdoors: camping, canoeing, hiking, nature study. She recently took some courses in the Master Naturalist program offered by St. Louis Community College (Meramec). She is now auditing a course in entomology at UMSL. The fascinating world of insects, including microscopic examination, identifying, even the challenge of netting, appeal to Leslie but not the killing and pinning. She dabbles in arts and crafts just to experience the process.

She belongs to WGNSS, Audubon, MO Native Plant Society, Wild Ones (promotes native plant gardening), MO Mycological Society. Of environmental groups, she is most active in Sierra Club advocating for the environment on Endangered Species Committee, Water Quality Monitoring, Glade Restoration, and does some trail maintenance outings. For the past year she has been Sierra Club EMG Program Chair responsible for arranging for speakers and places to meet. Leslie has also helped with gardens at Green Center, assisted kids planting vegetable gardens at U City schools and occasionally removed honeysuckle in Ruth Park.

Leslie Lihou started doing butterfly courts and met Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer at the butterfly garden at Busch. Leslie is happy to belong to NABA and is anxious to feel sun and wind on her back as she chases butterflies through fields and woods. We're glad to have her!

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Seeking a gift for a friend, relative, neighbor or colleague? Consider giving a one-year introductory membership to the St. Louis chapter of NABA. When you renew your membership, merely double the amount of the check and include the name and mailing address (also, if known, e-mail address) of the one receiving your thoughtful gift.

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We are looking for somebody who can make a VCR cassette from another VCR cassette. We have made a tape of local butterflies (from Yvonne and Jim's camcorders) for the docent program for elementary schools. We would like to give each docent his or her own cassette. It is only 13 minutes long and we will provide the blank cassettes. If you can help or know someone who can, please let Yvonne Homeyer know. Thanks!

After the initial meeting at Linda Virga's house in August, the Docent program (part of our Education Committee headed by Linda Virga) is moving ahead with plans to start giving butterfly presentations in elementary schools. Jean Racowsky has volunteered to be the Docent Coordinator and Jim & Audrey Foley, Bob & Claudia Noe, Betty Manlin & Bonnie Gayton have volunteered to work with Jean on this project. We appreciate their volunteer spirit and the generous gift of their time. We will begin training more people early next year. If you would like to go out to elementary schools and give a presentation, please contact Jean Racowsky.

YOUR OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:
President Yvonne Homeyer
Vice President Dianne Benjamin
Secretary Ann Earley
Treasurer Tom Krauska
Butterfly Gardening Dennis Bozzay
Conservation Jim Ziebol
Education Linda Virga
Membership Ann Earley
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).

NEWSLETTER ITEMS WANTED
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 $30 (regular) and $40 (family) per year. Please make check payable to NORTH AMERICAN BUTTERFLY ASSOCIATION.
Please mail this form with your check to: NABA-St. Louis 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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