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Health & Fitness

I Spy A Butterfly, And You ?

My butterfly gardens are in flower, and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of various species of Butterfly that call the North Shore of Long Island home.  And waiting and waiting.   This has been a particularly sparse year for butterflies.  To date, I have seen two or three Cabbage Whites (a pest, not originally from the US) an Orange Sulphur and two species of Swallowtail.  Individuals, not pairs, meaning no mating.  I may have a Monarch egg on my Asclepius incarnata; but there is no evidence that any caterpillars are munching along.

This year’s local edition of the National Butterfly count, sponsored by the the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) was recently conducted in a region from Roslyn to Caumsett in a 15 Mile Radius, by Rich Kelly and friends.  They have been doing a count that predates the forming of NABA, for 28 consecutive years.  

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 Last year, 227 Monarch butterflies were counted - the highest amount ever- this year ? Ten.  They saw no American Coppers, and 10 Common Wood Nymphs.

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Rich describes the findings as perplexing. He attributes some of the low count to loss of habitat, specifically grasslands.  His suspicion is that butterflies can no longer find the grasses they need to reproduce. Our fields are changing, as many as 35 to 40% of plants now found here are not from here; including many grasses. These non-native plants, also called invasives, are not hosts to our butterfly species. Species that use trees for reproduction, are faring a bit better.  Though we did lose a lot of our Oaks and Wild Cherrys during Hurricane Sandy.  Also, choking vines such as Oriental Bittersweet, Honeysuckle and Porcelainberry are engulfing our understory and even some trees.   There will be much more here on Invasive plants in the near future !  

Kelly also mentioned that Caumsett has a robust colony of Baltimore Checkerspots that emerge in early June.  This is a butterfly that had been sparsely identified, and then completely absent for 17 years, before it was discovered again in 2009. (The term for wildlife that used to be here but is no longer is extirpated.) Rich wrote an article on this re-appearance which is in PDF form and can be retrieved here: http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab174/ab174Baltimore_Checkerspots_on_Long_Island.pdf


Other possible causes for the lower numbers includes: loss of habitat; the invasive plants already mentioned, aerial overspraying of pesticides (my yard is on a Do Not Spray List)  and possibly outdoor light pollution at night.

I have even wondered if the blight affecting Impatiens is another factor ?  Just a question not an answer. In fact, few Specialists have answers. They are relying on individuals to report what they are seeing, a practice that makes you a Citizen Scientist. I have done this for fireflys and birds in the past. 

What can we do ?  Well plant native gardens of course, as mentioned in my previous blogs.  Get educated about local ecology, join the NABA Butterfly Count http://www.naba.org/counts/start.html or just join NABA.  Examples of Citizen Scientists reports about butterfly sightings can be seen here (PDF, download)  http://www.naba.org/ftp/upny.pdf ) or here: http://sightings.naba.org/

If you really do not know what kind of butterflies live here, and there are many, including some that overwinter either in egg or chrysalis form, ( mature Mourning Cloak butterflies have been seen in February) check out this list: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/checklists?species_type=All&tid=2269

It is a very specific regional guide by County.  Though as our terrain is more Oak woodland here, I do sometimes look at Connecticut’s listings !  

I have a limited knowledge of butterflies.  There is an extensive free download on NY Butterflies from the Cornell Cooperative: http://entomology.cornell.edu/cals/entomology/extension/youth/upload/Learning-About-Butterflies-139-M-9.pdf. I use the Golden Guide “Butterflies and Moths” children's book which is the first recommended title in the Cornell Butterfly Identification Resources Guide!

Finally, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to think of our butterflies year-round, not just on Earth Day. An excellent one-stop learning site is run by Wild Ones, though it emphasizes our dwindling Monarchs, so much can be learned here: http://www.wildones.org/land/monarch/

Please do what you can now, before we lose more species.  It is never too late to try.  Imagine your children or grandchildren without butterflies ?  If there ever was an incentive, that is it.

Photo by John Meehan


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