Re: [MDOsprey] Butterflies
Mark S. Garland (markgarl@erols.com)
Thu, 10 Aug 1989 21:05:50 -0700
Rebecca & everyone else:
I do think that in many places we are seeing excellent numbers of
butterflies this year. I attribute this to several factors:
1. We're still in the post gypsy moth spraying recovery. Gypsy moth
sprays, including Bt, knocked lots of butterfly populations way down.
2. The drought: most butterflies thrive in hot, sunny weather. Heavy
summer rains actually kill a number of individuals.
3. The drought: many natural areas have seen earlier flowering for some
species, and other species haven't bloomed at all. As a result,
butterflies are gathering in big numbers around tended butterfly
gardens, where they are finding nectar that's often unavailable in the
wild.
I haven't seen data from too many of the region's butterfly counts yet,
so I don't know if absolute numbers are really up substantially, or if
#3 above is the primary factor and we're just noticing greater
concentrations around certain areas. It is fun, however: I saw 8
species in my suburban yard in 1/2 hour this afternoon.
Cheers,
- Mark S. Garland
Kensington, MD
FrtSprt@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hi all:
>
> Is it my imagination, or are many more butterflies this summer than usual?
> Does anyone know if the drought would have anything to do with this?
>
> Thanks,
> Rebecca Keithley