November 2003 Issue:
In This Edition:
In this issue: 1) Coming Events NABA's MISSION STATEMENT: 1. COMING EVENTS: Wednesday, November 5, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. NABA-St. Louis will have a display table at the 2003 Conservation Forum, St. Louis Zoo Living World. There will be displays, breakout sessions by local conservation groups, and a keynote address at 8:00 p.m. By Dr. Frank Joyce on "Conservation in Costa Rica: Working Mutualisms Between People and Nature." For more information contact Ann Earley (aee623@prodigy.net) or Dr. Patrick Osborne at 314-516-5219 or (osbornepl@msx.umsl.edu). Sunday, December 14, 2:00 p.m. This year's NABA holiday party will be held at the home of Torrey and Lee Berger. This event will be a potluck. Directions and information about what dish to bring will be provided in upcoming newsletters. 2. SEPTEMBER 2003 BUTTERFLY & GARDEN REPORT by Yvonne Homeyer Supplement to August: On 8/30, over 100 Dainty Sulphurs were seen at Carlyle Lake by Bill Rowe, along with Little Yellows and Clouded, Cloudless, and Orange Sulphurs. Ron Goetz observed 31 species in his garden, compared with 27 species in August 2002, including Pipevine and Giant Swallowtails, Sleepy Orange and Red-banded Hairstreak. Only 2 Orange Sulphurs were seen in the entire month. September Sightings: The first Leonard’s Skippers* were seen on 9/4 by Mark Peters (photo) on his prairie; they have been seen there in previous years. Mark continued to find Leonard’s up to 9/18 and Jim Ziebol filmed them on 9/8. Leonard’s Skipper was also found in two other locations where they had not been reported before. On 9/7, Jim found a Leonard’s Skipper* at Busch (video), which was also seen by Dennis Bozzay (photo). Then, on the NABA Butterfly Walk at Hilda Young Conservation Area on 9/20, another Leonard’s Skipper* was seen by Yvonne, Torrey & Lee Berger, and Jeannie Moe (video, Yvonne). This locally rare species is the only single-brooded butterfly in the East to emerge in late summer/fall. Yvonne and Jim visited Mark’s prairie on 9/6 and, although they did not see a Leonard’s that day, they did see numerous Monarchs, Great Spangled Fritillary, Red-spotted Purple, Tawny Emperor, Gray Comma, Sachem, and Dun, Silver-spotted, N. Broken-Dash, Tawny-edged, and Least Skippers (MP, JZ, YH). Bill Rowe saw Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Viceroys and Checkered Whites at Carlyle Lake on 9/6. The NABA picnic on 9/7 at Busch was very productive, with 28 species seen, including 1 Dainty Sulphur, 1 Sleepy Orange, 10 Little Yellows, 4 Cloudless Sulphurs, 3 Great Spangled Fritillaries, 1 Snout, several Red-spotted Purples, 2 Gray Commas, 2 Viceroy, 10 Hackberries, 1 Tawny Emperor, and the Leonard’s Skipper noted above. Butterfly activity picked up in Decatur, IL, as Alana Studebaker reported a very busy day on 9/7 on her property, with 250+ Painted Ladies, 20+ Monarchs, 31 Cabbage Whites, 3 Red Admirals, 11 Hackberry Emperors, 3 Tawny Emperors and several skipper species. Still missing are Spicebush, Giant and Pipevine Swallowtails, Buckeyes and Viceroys. Several Monarch caterpillars on Swamp Milkweed were seen at the Green Center on 9/7 and 9/7 9 by Dianne Benjamin and others. Painted Ladies were numerous, along with Monarchs, Eastern Tailed-Blues, Buckeyes and skippers. On 9/14 during the Busch Wildlife Count for the Mo. Dept. of Conservation, Jim Ziebol identified a hybrid butterfly - a Red-spotted Purple x Viceroy* (video, Yvonne; photos available on our chapter web site at: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/photoredspotted.htm). Other highlights included 2 Dainty Sulphurs, 4 Gray Hairstreaks, 152 Eastern Tailed-Blues, 13 Summer Azures, 1 Great Spangled Fritillary, 10 Gray Commas, 45 Painted Ladies, 1 Red Admiral, 5 Buckeyes, 2 Red-spotted Purples, 4 Viceroys, 1 Goatweed, 1 Tawny Emperor, 32 Monarchs, 14 Least Skippers, 4 Fiery Skippers, and 5 Sachems. Jim Ziebol and Mark Peters found a Clouded Skipper* on Mark’s prairie on 9/17 (video, Jim). The last Butterfly Walk of the season took place on 9/20 at Hilda Young C.A., led by Torrey Berger. Only 13 species were seen (including the Leonard’s Skipper noted above), but Painted Ladies made up in abundance what was lacking in diversity, with 98 individuals counted. The group also saw 19 Pipevine Swallowtails, 4 Orange Sulphurs, 8 Little Yellows, 16 Eastern Tailed-Blues, 6 Great Spangled Fritillaries, 4 Pearl Crescents, 2 Buckeyes, 22 Monarchs, 1 Fiery Skipper, 1 Tawny-edged Skipper and 1 Little Glassywing. No Cloudless Sulphurs were observed. On 9/20, John Karel saw Red-spotted Purples in Ste. Genevieve and Wood Nymphs at Lower Rock Creek Wilderness Area in Madison County, MO. At Busch C.A. on 9/20, Jim Ziebol counted 500+ Painted Ladies and on 9/25 there, he saw Pipevine and Spicebush Swallowtails, 8 Orange Sulphurs, Clouded Sulphur, Gray Hairstreak, 25 Eastern Tailed-Blues, 30 Pearl Crescents, 75 Painted Ladies, 2 Buckeyes, Red Admiral, E. Comma, 2 Gray Commas, Goatweed, 75 Monarchs, 30+ Least Skippers, Fiery and Sachem. Dennis visited Busch the following day on 9/21 and counted 1 Pipevine, 10 Orange Sulphurs, 3 Little Yellow, 10 Cloudless Sulphur, 1 Gray Hairstreak, 10 Eastern Tailed-Blues, 1 Great Spangled Fritillary, 25 Pearl Crescents, 1 E. Comma, 60+ Painted Ladies, 2 Buckeye, 2 Viceroy, 1 Hackberry, 100+ Monarchs, and 10 Least Skippers. Garden Report: A Red-banded Hairstreak was a good find as well as a lifer for Dave Berry on 9/18. Dave also reported a dozen Painted Ladies seen regularly on sunny days in early September, plus Cloudless Sulphurs, Gray Hairstreaks, a Viceroy, and many Monarchs. Dennis Bozzay had a good variety of butterflies in his garden - Tiger & Pipevine Swallowtails, Orange Sulphur, Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow, Cabbage White, Painted Lady, Red-spotted Purple, Monarch, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Silver-spotted Skipper, Little Glassywing, Fiery Skipper, and Sachem. Belle Warden saw Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Little Yellow, Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, E. Tailed-Blue, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, E. Comma, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Buckeye, Red-spotted Purple, Viceroy, Hackberry, Tawny Emperor (9/7), Monarch, Horace’s Duskywing, and Fiery Skipper. In contrast with previous years, she saw fewer skippers and Hummingbird moths, the latter having been numerous until this year. She raised several Monarch larvae and all pupated. CONTRIBUTORS: Torrey & Lee Berger, Dave Berry, Dennis Bozzay, Ron Goetz, Yvonne Homeyer, John Karel, Scott & Annie Marshall, Jeannie Moe, Bob & Claudia Noe, Kraig Paradise, Mark Peters, Bill Rowe, Betty Walters, Belle Warden, Jim Ziebol. (* means documented with photo or video). 4. WHAT'S UP WITH BUTTERFLIES IN NORTH COUNTY, by Mrs. Cynthia Bauer, in unincorporated North St. Louis County. In response to "Butterflies are down; what's up?" in the September 2003 Flutterby News: Normally, we begin to see butterflies in April and May, and larger numbers of them from July through October. This year in our area the butterflies were later, and in fewer numbers, despite a profusion of host and nectar plants available in our backyard and at our other planting projects. We are located in unincorporated North St. Louis County, surrounded by Black Jack, Florissant, and Ferguson, near Hazelwood, Mo. (see photos below). Earlier in the Spring, I saw isolated yellow and white sulphurs, but very few skippers and other butterfly species. In the past 3 weeks (early September 2003), we are seeing Monarchs, and a few Viceroys, Swallowtails, Painted Ladies, and Buckeyes. |
[For more details, please contact Mrs. Cynthia Bauer.]
Swallowtail on Zinnia, by Cynthia Bauer:
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Purple Coneflower, by Cynthia Bauer:
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4. POEM "SILKEN THREAD IN VINUS CHAIN" by Mrs. Cynthia Bauer:
Chomp, Chew, grind, Hungry for Malva, Hollyhock and Thistle, Wrapped, bound, disguised, From sleeping Necrose to nectar's sucrose, Emerging, engorging, unfolding, Blossoming, Flowering, forming, Wildflowers, cultivars, blades, Flitting, flirting, a-flutter, Traversing the roadsides, filling herbal niches, lawns, Some suffer, ground into grills, wings torn, Swooping, diving, climbing, Where Monarchs reign in golden splendor |
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5. NABA TO PARTICIPATE IN ST LOUIS ZOO'S CONSERVATION FORUM by Ann Earley Our chapter will have a display table at the 2003 Conservation Forum to be held at the Saint Louis Zoo's Living World on Wednesday, November 5. Registration begins at 5 p.m., followed by presentations, exhibit viewing, and a keynote address at 8 p.m. by Dr. Frank Joyce of the University of California. His topic is "Conservation in Costa Rica: Working Mutualisms Between People and Nature." This event is co-sponsored by the International Center for Tropical Ecology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden, The Nature Conservancy-Missouri Chapter and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Dr. Joyce's presentation will be preceded by concurrent breakout sessions at which conservation organizations will describe their missions, activities and achievements. Participants will be able to purchase a light supper. For additional information or to register by the October 24 deadline, please contact Dr. Patrick Osborne at the International Center for Tropical Ecology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Department of Biology, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, MO 63121-4499, by phone at 314-516-5219, or email at osbornepl@msx.umsl.edu 6. NABA ST. LOUIS AT BUTTERFLY HOUSE FALL FESTIVAL Our chapter had a display table at the Butterfly House Fall Festival at Faust Park in Chesterfield on Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28. During the two day event, over 120 people of all ages visited our area to talk about butterflies and butterfly gardening. Many thanks to Jim Ziebol, Yvonne Homeyer, Bob and Claudia Noe, Bob Siemer, and Ann Earley for helping with set-up and staffing for this event. In addition, Jeannie Moe provided free seeds for those who visited our display on Sunday. Thank you to all of these volunteers! We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this event and look forward to future festivals at the Butterfly House. 7. AND MORE... MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE CHAPTER HOLIDAY PARTY! NEW MEMBERS: NEWSLETTER ARTICLES WELCOME: YOUR OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: If you have questions or suggestions, e-mail Ann Earley (aee623@prodigy.net). Our webpage is: www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/stlouis.htm 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. |
Editor: Dave Larson
Suggestions, Corrections and Articles are appreciated.
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