Sun. May 15 - 12:00 noon. Butterfly Walk at Tyson Research Center, co-sponsored by Friends of Tyson. Meet at Noon for lunch at the Gatehouse; snacks will be provided by Friends of Tyson. Walk will start about 12:30. Restrooms are available at the Gatehouse. Tyson walks at this time of May in the past have yielded all 5 species of Swallowtails, Great Spangled Fritillary, Bell’s Roadside Skipper, and many more species. Leader: Dave Larson.

Sun. May 22 - 10:00 a.m. Second MDC Count at Busch Wildlife in St. Charles County. Meet at the Butterfly Garden (bottom of parking lot at Visitor’s Center). More species will be flying by mid-May, including Pipevine, Spicebush and Black Swallowtails, American Lady, Silvery Checkerspot, Viceroy, Pearl Crescent and skippers. Leader: Jim Ziebol.

Sat. May 28 - 10:00 a.m. Butterfly walk at Mark Peters’ prairie in Jefferson County. You don’t have to drive for hours and hours to see a prairie – Mark’s restored habitat is just 20 minutes from 270 and Tesson Ferry. Not only is Mark’s prairie a good place to see butterflies up close, but you will also see a colorful array of prairie wildflowers in bloom. There will be many "Kodak moments" so if you are interested in photography, bring your camera as well as your binoculars. Leader: Mark Peters.

Sun. June 5 - 10:00 a.m. Butterfly Walk on Dave Berry’s Ozark property in Dent County. The field trip last year was a great success, so we are pleased that Dave invited us back! If we are lucky, we might see the stunning Baltimore Checkerspot, an Ozark specialty that is rarely seen in the St. Louis area. Large numbers of butterflies are usually flying in the Ozarks at this time of year and there will be a variety of wildflowers in bloom. Bring lunch and water. The terrain is hilly and somewhat rough in places, but we will walk at a slow pace. Driving time from I-270 and I-44 is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. Directions can be found at the end of the Calendar. We plan to meet at the entrance gate to Dave’s property around 10:00 a.m. For those who want to carpool or caravan, call Yvonne (314.963.7750). On the way home, there will be an optional stop for a late lunch or early dinner at The Feed Lot in Cuba. This field trip is worth the drive. Leader: Dave Berry.

Sat. June 11 - Swamp Metalmark Survey Walk [...]. More details coming in the June newsletter.

Sun. June 12 - 10:00 a.m. Our first 4^th of July Count of the season will take place at Shaw Nature Reserve. Meet at Gatehouse parking lot at 10:00 a.m. This is a peak time for butterflies at the Reserve, we could easily see more than 30 species for the day. Bring lunch. Coordinator: Ron Goetz.

Fri. June 17 - 7:00 p.m. NABA dinner at Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, which is located on Watson Rd. across from Lindburgh Cadillac about 1/2 mile west of Sappington (Crestwood Plaza). See article below for more information. Reservations not required but helpful in knowing how many tables to put together. Please call Yvonne at 314.963.7750.

Sat. June 18 - The Springfield, IL "4^th of July Count". The sand prairies of Mason County, IL are a unique habitat covered by this Count. Regal Fritillaries, Ottoe Skipper and American Copper are regularly seen, while Coral Hairstreak and Reakirt’s Blue are also possible, so in a single day you can see 4 or 5 species that are not found in St. Louis. During the count you will sometimes be driving on sandy farm roads; a 4-wheel drive vehicle is preferable. Call Susan Dees at 217.529.1826 for meeting location and directions. Count Coordinator: Susan Dees.

Sat. June 25 - Swamp Metalmark Survey Walk [...]. More details coming in the June newsletter.

Sun. June 26 - 10:00 a.m. Third MDC Butterfly Count at Busch Wildlife in St. Charles County. Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Butterfly Garden near the Visitor’s Center. Leader: Jim Ziebol.

Sun. June 26 - "Grow Wild" Garden Tour. See article below.

DIRECTIONS:

Tyson Research Center: From the junction of I-44 and I-270, go west on I-44 about 7 miles to the Antire Rd/Beaumont exit (exit #269). The entrance gate to Tyson is about 100 ft. past the exit ramp stop sign on the right. Meet at the Gatehouse which is just inside the entry gate.

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.

Mark Peters' Prairie: For directions please Email Yvonne Homeyer at: homeyerATearthlink.net

Dave Berry’s Property: For directions please Email Yvonne Homeyer at: homeyerATearthlink.net

Shaw Nature Reserve: Starting at the junction of I-270 and I-44, travel west on I-44 for approximately 23 miles to Hwy. 100/Gray Summit Exit (Exit #253). Upon exiting, turn left (cross over I-44) on Hwy. 100. Turn right (west) immediately after crossing I-44 and travel 0.1 mile and turn left into the Shaw Nature Reserve entrance. The Visitors’ Center is just inside the gate. Note: there is a modest entrance fee for non-Missouri Botanical Garden members.

2. NABA GET-TOGETHER DINNER ON FRIDAY, JUNE 17

Join NABA-St. Louis for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant on Watson Road at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 17. We’re trying to offer more opportunities, besides our field outings, for people to get to know one another better and have a relaxing time. It isn’t required that you RSVP but it is helpful to know how many people to expect, so the restaurant can put several tables together for us. So if you know in advance that you’re coming, let Yvonne know (314.963.7750) but feel free to make a last-minute decision and come anyway! Sweet Tomatoes is a buffet-style restaurant with an extensive selection of salads, soups, pasta, fruit and desserts. It is located on Watson Road across from Lindburgh Cadillac about ½ mile west of Sappington (Crestwood Plaza).

3. BUTTERFLY REPORT for FEBRUARY through APRIL by Yvonne Homeyer

EARLY SPRING BUTTERFLY SIGHTINGS:

Even though it was technically still winter, spring weather kept popping out in January and February. On 2/15, Jim Ziebol and Ron Goetz both spotted the first butterflies of the year: at Horseshoe Lake, Jim saw 2 Eastern Commas and 1 Goatweed, and at Queeny Park, Ron saw a Mourning Cloak. On 2/28 Pat Harris spotted a Mourning Cloak at Hilda Young C.A. and Mark Peters saw 2 in flight at his Jefferson County home. All three species overwinter as adults.

The first part of March was cold, but by mid-month, temperatures were warming and the sun was shining. On 3/17, Ron Goetz saw an E. Comma in Glencoe, and at Greensfelder Park, he observed another E. Comma, 2 Mourning Cloaks, 5 Gray Commas and a Spring Azure. On 3/20, Ann Early reported 5 Mourning Cloaks and 1 E. Comma in Warren County. Rain in the latter part of March kept butterfly sightings down but the last few days were sunny and warm so butterfly activity picked up. On 3/28, Dave Larson found 2 Mourning Cloaks and 1 E. Comma at Tyson, while Torrey Berger found the first Cabbage Whites at Horseshoe Lake and Anne McCormack saw an E. Comma at Emmenegger Park. Torrey observed two very worn E. Commas in Tower Grove Park on 3/29 and on the same date, Dave Larson saw 2 Spring Azures at Tyson. On 3/30, Jim Ziebol saw 2 Mourning Cloaks flying in Tower Grove Park, Torrey Berger reported the first Orange Sulphur at Little Creve Coeur Lake, and Anne McCormack saw a Monarch in flight at St. Joseph Academy.

The best was saved for last: 13 species on 3/31. Torrey Berger found Red Admiral and Mourning Cloak at Tower Grove Park, and Ron Goetz logged a total of 13 species in two locations. At Babler State Park, Ron saw E. Comma, Painted Lady and American Lady. [While American Lady is a resident species, Painted Lady does not breed here and is usually found later in the season as it migrates from areas to the south of us. Did this Painted Lady manage to overwinter as an adult due to the mild weather?] Greensfelder Park yielded another 10 species for Ron: Black Swallowtail, 2 Tiger Swallowtails, 2 male Falcate Orangetips, Henry’s Elfin, 4 Spring Azures, Gray Comma, Mourning Cloak, Red Admiral, Goatweed Leafwing and 3 Juvenals’ Duskywings.

Contributors: Torrey Berger, Ann Earley, Ron Goetz, Pat Harris, Yvonne Homeyer, Dave Larson, Anne McCormack, Mark Peters, Jim Ziebol. Bold indicates first reported sighting of the year.

APRIL BUTTERFLY SIGHTINGS:

On 4/2, Yvonne Homeyer found 1 Zebra Swallowtail, 3 E. Commas, and1 Red Admiral at Lost Valley Trail, while Jim Ziebol spotted a Clouded Sulphur at Busch Wildlife. On 4/3, Ron Goetz matched his 3/31 total of 13 species. Highlights of his trip to Fults Hill Prairie in Illinois were 20+ Zebra Swallowtails, 1 Spicebush Swallowtail, 10+ Henry’s Elfins, a White-M Hairstreak, 4 Sleepy Duskywings, and Falcate Orangetips. Marjorie Warden found Cabbage White, Clouded & Orange Sulphurs and Red Admiral in McLeansboro, IL.

The first NABA field trip of the year was also on 4/3. The destination was Hilda Young C.A. near Eureka. (See group photo at: www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/photo3.htm). Dennis Bozzay (leader), Mary-Eileen Rufkahr, Jeannie Moe, Ann Earley, Bob Siemer, Anne McCormack, Scott Marshall, Annie Marshall, Tom Krauska, Jeri Krauska, and Yvonne Homeyer counted 13 species in all: 4 Henry’s Elfins, 4 Falcate Orangetips, 1 Tiger Swallowtail, 1 American Lady, 2 Painted Ladies, 5 E. Commas, 1 Mourning Cloak, several Juvenal’s Duskywings, 1 Goatweed, 1 Clouded Sulphur, 1 Orange Sulphur, 12 Spring Azures, and a Cabbage White. At Tyson on 4/6, Dave Larson observed 4 Tiger Swallowtails, dozens of Falcate Orangetips, Spring Azures, 2 Question Marks, Cabbage Whites, Clouded Sulphurs and dozens of Juvenal’s Duskywings. Belle Warden saw Cabbage Whites in her garden on 4/5.

By April 9, butterflies had picked up considerably, with Ron Goetz finding 18 species at Shaw Nature Reserve, including Pipevine Swallowtail, Juniper Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Pearl Crescent, and Henry’s Elfins. Dave Larson also went butterflying at Shaw on 4/9; Dave counted a dozen Clouded Sulphurs, 1 Tiger Swallowtail, 5 Spring Azures, 6 Zebra Swallowtails, 3 Red Admirals, 8 Falcate Orangetips, 4 Black Swallowtails and 1 Pearl Crescent. Scott Marshall visited Lost Valley Trail on 4/9 and saw a female Sleepy Duskywing, Henry’s Elfin, and many Juvenal’s Duskywings.

We had a good turnout on 4/10 for the first of the four counts that we conduct for the Mo. Dept. of Conservation at Busch Wildlife. Present on this warm, sunny day were Dennis Bozzay, Dave Larson, Kraig Paradise, Dave Berry, Jeannie Moe, Linda Virga, Mary-Eileen Rufkahr, Yvonne Homeyer and Luisa Stephan, Linda’s friend from Germany. Twelve species were seen, including 4 Henry’s Elfins, 30 Falcate Orangetips, and 3 Tiger Swallowtails (the dark form female was very small). By 4/14, Falcate Orangetips were in full swing at Tyson, where Dave Larson counted over 200 flying in one field. He also saw 6 Painted Ladies and 1 Pipevine Swallowtail. On 4/15, Ron Goetz visited Hilda Young C.A., where he found 18 species and 137 individuals.  Highlights included 39 Falcate Orangetips, 2 Henry's Elfins, 6 Juniper Hairstreaks, 5 Sleepy Duskywings and 48 Juvenal's.

Scott Marshall checked out Victoria Glade on 4/16 and found 3 Henry’s Elfins, Juniper Hairstreak, Falcate Orangetip, Tiger Swallowtail, Clouded Sulphur, Pearl Crescent and some skippers that didn’t stop for detailed viewing. On 4/17, Ron Goetz returned to Fults Hill Prairie and found 12 Gorgone Checkerspots, 1 female Monarch, and 1 Common Roadside-Skipper (locally rare). Many butterflies were flying in Dent County on the weekend of 4/16-17. Dave Berry reported 18 species in good numbers: Black, Tiger, Pipevine, Zebra and Spicebush Swallowtails (all but Giant), Falcate Orangetip, Clouded Sulphurs, Cabbage White, Spring Azure, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Juniper Hairstreak, Comma, Question Marks, Pearl Crescent, Painted Lady, Henry’s Elfin, Red Admiral, and thousands of Juvenal’s Duskywings. On the same weekend, Mary Eileen Rufkahr found Falcate Orangetips in the field behind her house and a Spring Azure in her yard, and Sarah George saw a Tiger Swallowtail and a Monarch nectaring on dandelion at Cahokia Mounds. Tiger Swallowtail and Red Admiral visited the Viburnum blooming in Tom Terrific’s yard.

In the Springfield, IL area, Susan Dees reported Falcate Orangetips ovipositing on garlic mustard, Tiger and Zebra Swallowtails, Spring Azures, Red Admirals and a Black Swallowtail that emerged from a chrysalis that she tended over the winter.

On 4/21, before it started raining, Belle Warden watched a female Monarch flying around the milkweeds in her yard, searching for the right plant on which to lay eggs. Cool and rainy weather in late April kept butterfly sightings down and resulted in a cancellation of our walk at Busch on 4/23.

[Note: This report ends with butterfly sightings received by 4/27. Any reports for April received after 4/27 will appear in the June newsletter.]

Contributors: Dave Berry, Torrey Berger, Ann Earley, Sarah George, Ron Goetz, Jack Harris, Yvonne Homeyer, Dave Larson, Scott Marshall, Mary-Eileen Rufkahr, Tom Terrific, Belle Warden, Marjorie Warden, Jim Ziebol. Bold indicates first reported sighting of the year.

4. CHAPTER ANNUAL MEETING and ELECTION RESULTS by Ann Earley

The annual membership meeting of our chapter was held on Thursday, April 7 at the joint program meeting with WGNSS at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters. At the meeting, the following people were elected to serve as NABA chapter officers and board members for the coming year:

President Ann Earley

Vice President Torrey Berger

Secretary Kathleen O'Keefe

Treasurer Dave Berry

Butterfly Gardening Dennis Bozzay

Conservation Yvonne Homeyer 

Education Mary-Eileen Rufkahr

Membership Scott Marshall

Newsletter Dave Larson

Publicity Kate Boden

Walks & Counts Jim Ziebol

Web Master Dave Larson

Thank you to these individuals who have volunteered to serve our NABA chapter, and to Jane Schaefer who was this year's Nominating Committee Chair. We welcome Mary-Eileen Rufkahr to the chapter board, to serve as Education Chair. Many thanks to outgoing board member Margaret Gilleo for her contributions and service to our chapter as Education Chair during the past couple of years.

5. SWAMP METALMARK SURVEY STARTS IN JUNE by Yvonne Homeyer

Add June 11 and 25 to your calendar – these are the first walks on which we will search for the rare Swamp Metalmark. The destination is [...], where colonies of Swamp Metalmarks have been reported. Dave Berry is the coordinator for [...] and will be our guide on those walks. (Check June calendar for details and directions.) [...]

Quite a few people attended the planning meeting on April 13: Ron Goetz, Dave Berry, Scott Marshall, Dennis Bozzay, Ann Earley, Torrey Berger, Bob Siemer, Mary Eileen Rufkahr, Dr. Sarah George, Jack Harris and Yvonne Homeyer. Jack educated us about the host plants, Swamp Thistle, Cirsium muticum (rare) and Tall Thistle, Cirsium altissimum (widespread). Ron Goetz reported on his sightings of Swamp Metalmark in [...], another survey location, of which Ron is the coordinator. Ron has found Swamp Thistle at [...]. This is the only location of Swamp Thistle known to us in the St. Louis area; historical records of Swamp Thistle in St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve Counties are quite old. Because Swamp Thistle is rare in the St. Louis area, Tall Thistle is assumed to be the host plant at the other colonies.

Scott Marshall is the coordinator of the survey at [...] and we will have some walks at this location also. Yvonne will be checking private property in Franklin County. These four locations constitute the known colonies of Swamp Metalmarks in our area.

NABA-St. Louis is undertaking this survey at the request of Jeffrey Glassberg and the national NABA board. Swamp Metalmark colonies have been reduced to dots on the map, in part due to habitat loss. Missouri has the largest remaining territory for this butterfly, yet only four known colonies exist in the St. Louis area. The purpose of our survey is to monitor the status of the population at these colony sites.

If you would like to participate in the survey, contact Yvonne Homeyer at 314.963.7750 or email: homeyerATearthlink.net, or simply show up on one of our publicized walks in the Calendar. Ron, Dave, Scott and Yvonne will be checking their locations more frequently than will appear in the Calendar of this newsletter, so there will be other opportunities to do field work besides the official walks in the Calendar.

6. THE "GROW WILD" GARDEN TOUR by Dana Barhard

Dear Nature Enthusiast,

The Shaw Nature Reserve, the Green Center, and WildOnes Natural Landscapers are sponsoring the Grow Wild Garden Tour, Sunday June 26, 2005. Eight gardens were selected that provide a variety of landscape styles from butterfly, prairie, woodland, wildlife, pond, wetland, and rock gardens.

The sponsoring organizations hope the tour will inspire visitors to introduce wildflowers and native plants into their own gardens for an attractive look and low maintenance. Each garden will have experts on hand who will be happy to talk about the many benefits and joys of native plant gardening.

Tickets are $10 per person in advance and $15 on the day of the tour at the Green Center. You may purchase tickets by calling (314) 725-8314, e-mailing events@thegreencenter.org, or printing the order form from website www.thegreencenter.org and sending in a check for the number of tickets needed.

A press release and flyer, which provide more information about the tour, are available on the Green Center website at www.thegreencenter.org by clicking on the Grow Wild Garden Tour in the calendar of events. For further information about the tour, please contact me.

Sincere thanks,

Dana Barhard, Volunteer Coordinator
The Green Center
8025 Blackberry
St. Louis, MO 63130
Phone: (314)725-8314; Fax: (314)725-4291
dbarhard@thegreencenter.org
www.thegreencenter.org