Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association, NABA Chapter
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Field
Trips
The 2013 field trips have been announced! Dates below, details to be added. A Harvester butterfly, found during a SWBA field trip to Jackson County. The caterpillars of this butterfly are strictly carnivorous! Photograph by Ann Thering (Copyright 2008) |
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2013 field trips dates are listed below. Trips or counts may be canceled in the case of inclement or even cool cloudy weather because butterflies can be hard to find in such conditions. Please call the field trip leader to make sure trip will meet if weather is questionable. All trips are free, with the exception of the $3 fee for the Madison Butterfly Count. 2013 Field Trips Saturday, May 18, Butterflies of Bauer Brockway
Barrens (Jackson Co.), Mike Reese Sunday, July 21, Prairie
Restoration for Karner Blue Butterflies,
John Shillinglaw, Mike Reese 2013 Field Trip Details
The
best place in the state to look for early butterflies in May is Jackson
County. Mike Reese will lead us in finding and observing many scarce
and unusual species. We expect to find various elfins including the
very rare (and State Threatened) Frosted Elfin. We should find Olympia
Marble, Gorgone Checkerspot, Cobweb Skipper, Dreamy and Sleepy
duskywings, etc. Bring binoculars if you have them, close-focusing ones
work best. (A few extra pairs of binoculars are available.) Also, bring
a bag lunch and water. A hat, long pants and long sleeves are
recommended. This is a joint trip of SWBA with the Madison Audubon
Society. Saturday, June 22: Butterflies of Cherokee Marsh On
this morning walk we'll observe and learn about butterflies, those
small but exquisitely beautiful creatures that dance about our ankles
in summer. Dr. Douglas Buege will lead this 2 hour walk at
Cherokee Marsh on the northeast side of Madison. We will observe a
variety of butterflies as they take nectar from wildflowers, and learn
about their identification, behavior, and lifestyle. Bring binoculars
if you have them--close-focusing ones work best. We have a few extra
pairs of binoculars. It's best to wear long pants and a hat for
protection from the sun. This is a joint trip of SWBA with the Madison
Audubon Society and Friends of Cherokee Marsh. Saturday,
June 29: Madison
Butterfly Count This
is our 23nd annual butterfly count! Co-sponsors are SWBA, the UW
Arboretum, and the Madison Audubon Society. Each summer butterfly
enthusiasts all over North America participate in more than 483
censuses of butterfly species. Each count is similar to a Christmas
Bird Count. These censuses help to monitor the health of our butterfly
populations and the results are published in an annual report for North
America. If you can identify butterflies, or can help spot butterflies,
or just want to see and learn about butterflies, join us on this 3-hour
count/field-trip. Bring binoculars, the closer they focus the better.
We have a few extra binoculars. Dress for protection from the heat and
sun; a hat is recommended. The North American Butterfly Association
(NABA) requires a $3
fee from each participant to help cover publishing
costs. Thursday, July 4: Butterflies and Dragonflies of Swamp Lovers Preserve Celebrate July 4th at this beautiful private preserve that consists of remnant and restored wetlands, remnant bluff prairie, restored tall grass prairie, and dry hilly oak-hickory woodland. In past years, we have observed an impressive variety of dragonflies and butterflies as we explored the different habitats. Bring binoculars (close-focusing ones work best) along with your own lunch and beverages to enjoy when we finish the trip at the bluff-top picnic shelter. Leaders are Tod Highsmith, Karl and Dorothy Legler. This is a joint trip of SWBA with the Madison Audubon Society and is co-sponsored by The Prairie Enthusiasts. Meet at 9:30 a.m. This trip will last until 1:00 p.m. DIRECTIONS: Travel west from Cross Plains on Hwy 14. Just outside town take County KP to the right (north), go about 1.3 mile and turn left at the Swamp Lovers sign. Call Karl Legler at (608) 643-4926 or cell (608) 228-0743 only if you have a question about the trip or if the weather is questionable.
The Sandhill State Wildlife Area, in Wood County,
covers more than 14 square miles. It is managed by the Wisconsin DNR as
a living laboratory for wildlife management techniques. Sandhill has
large marshes and many flowages, interspersed with low sandy uplands,
pine and oak barrens and restored prairies. Butterfly enthusiast Ron
Arnold has been surveying the butterflies at Sandhill for more than 20
years. On this trip Ron will lead us in finding such beauties as
Acadian and Coral Hairstreaks, Aphrodite Fritillary, the rare
Two-spotted Skipper, Bronze Copper, Eyed Brown, Northern Pearly-eye,
White Admiral and many others. Skippers will include Black Dash,
Broad-winged, Dion, Long Dash and many others. We may see the beautiful
Baltimore Checkerspot, Harris’ Checkerspot and the Federally Endangered
Karner Blue. If time permits, we could also visit a nearby
spruce/tamarack bog. (If you want to walk in the bog bring boots. Bog
Coppers have been seen there.) Bring binoculars, the closer they focus
the better. (We will have a few extra pairs of binoculars.) Also bring
insect repellent to protect against mosquitoes, and ticks. A hat, long
sleeves and long pants are recommended. Bring a bag lunch and water.
This is a joint trip of SWBA with Madison Audubon Society.
Summerton Bog is an amazing, 480 acre mix of
tamarack bog, wet and dry meadows, hardwood forest, marsh and springs.
On top of that, when a natural gas pipeline was put through the west
end, it was replanted with prairie flowers and grasses. 60 species of
butterflies have been sighted there in the last two years. The area we
will cover is predominantly dry. Leaders will be Dan Sonnenberg, and
Karl & Dorothy Legler. This is a joint trip of SWBA with the
Madison Audubon Society. Bring binoculars, the closer they focus the
better. (We will have a few extra pairs of binoculars.) A hat, long
sleeves and long pants are recommended. Bring a bag lunch and water.
After lunch we may venture to another place nearby, if time
allows.
On
this two hour walk in the Picnic Point area we expect to see
interesting bird species and at least half a dozen species of
dragonflies and twice as many different butterflies. The walking route
will include the edge of Mendota's University Bay, the woods of Picnic
Point, and the Biocore Prairie. Bring your binoculars--the closer they
focus the better. (We will have a few extra binoculars.) This trip is
co-sponsored by SWBA, Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve and
Madison Audubon Society. The trip leader is Edgar Spalding.
We
will visit The Prairie Enthusiasts’ Schurch-Thomson Prairie, and the
adjacent privately owned Underwood Prairie. The latter is closed to the
public, so this is a great opportunity to see it up close. These and
adjacent properties form a complex of remnant prairie and CRP
grasslands that are rich with grassland birds and other prairie
animals. Summer flowers will be in bloom, and we hope to see the rare
Regal Fritillary and other butterflies. Be prepared for a long hike and
bring binoculars for butterfly viewing (the closer they can focus the
better). This trip is co-sponsored by The Prairie Enthusiasts and the
Madison Audubon Society. Leader is Rich Henderson. SWBA members will
provide additional butterfly expertise.
The
Karner Blue butterfly is listed as Federally Endangered. Wisconsin has
the largest population of Karners in the country. Leader John
Shillinglaw is an amateur restoration biologist who has purchased 200
acres on the Mecan River, in Waushara Co., starting in 1985. He
introduced wild lupine and now has a nice population of Karner Blues.
(John presented at the November Audubon meeting.) We will learn about
the history of this Karner Blue prairie restoration project. The
property has a variety of habitats including extensive prairie,
ephemeral wetlands, marshes, a bog, oak savannah and woodland. We will
observe flowers, butterflies, grassland birds and dragonflies.
Butterfly expert, Mike Reese, will be co-leader. This is a joint trip
of Madison Audubon Society and the Southern Wis. Butterfly Assoc.
Bring a sack lunch and binoculars (close-focusing ones work best for
butterflies and dragonflies). Long pants, hat, water and sturdy hiking
shoes are recommended. After lunch, those that want to continue
exploring the property can do so.
In
some years this can be the best butterfly trip of the year! This trip
will highlight several areas in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway,
including Avoca Prairie and Savanna State Natural Area in Iowa County,
and Blue River unit in Grant County. Leader will be Mike Reese. We
expect to see late butterflies and several unusual southern immigrants.
A hat and long pants are recommended. Bring a lunch and binoculars (the
closer they focus the better). A few extra binoculars are available.
This is a joint trip of the Southern Wis. Butterfly Association and
Madison Audubon Society. Saturday, August 24: Butterflies and Blossoms at Pheasant Branch Join
us on a walk through the lovely Pheasant Branch Conservancy in
Middleton. The many beautiful asters should be in bloom, and we hope
lots of butterflies will be nectaring on these flowers. We can expect
several species, including Monarchs, sulfurs, blues, and possibly some
southern immigrants, such as Common Buckeye and Painted Lady. You never
know what you may find! We will also learn more about restoration
efforts at the conservancy. Long pants, a hat, water, and sturdy hiking
shoes are recommended. Close-focusing binoculars are also useful. (We
will have a few extra binoculars.) We will hike two or three miles.
Leader is Dreux Watermolen. Co-sponsors are SWBA, Friends of the
Pheasant Branch Conservancy and the Madison Audubon Society. Contact
the trip leader only if you have a question about the trip: Dreux
Watermolen: (608) 266-8931, dreux.watermolen@Wisconsin.gov . |
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