Re: [MDOsprey] Butterflies

Charlie Muise (cmmbirds@yahoo.com)
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 07:58:22 -0700 (PDT) 

I don't have numbers to back this up, but...

the remarkable number of butterflies on the Pickerel Weed
seems much higher than I've noticed in past years.  Since
this is a wetland plant, it perhaps isn't suffering from
the drought as much as most wild plants.  Maybe it's one of
those food sources that aren't preferred, but are accepted
in lieu of others?

Charlie

--- "Mark S. Garland" <markgarl@erols.com> wrote:
> 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
> 

===
******************************
Charlie Muise, Naturalist
Jug Bay Wetlands sanctuary
Next to the Beautiful Chesapeake Bay
Maryland, USA
cmmbirds@yahoo.com
******************************
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