Field Trip: Lake Talquin State Forest - N. Ochlockonee Tract, Half-Day Trip, Saturday, July 9
Blooming buttonbush, pickerel weed, summer sweet, sunflowers, and butterfly pea attract butterflies at this time of year. We usually see 20-25 species. A sunny North-South powerline cut and a partially-shaded East-West pipeline cut provide convenient walking routes.
We will be walking through vegetation and some areas are swampy so you will need tick and mosquito protection. Bring close-focusing binoculars and water. We will meet in the DEP parking lot on Commonwealth Blvd. at 9 AM. The Tract is about a 5-minute drive from there.
David Harder is our trip leader. If you have questions, contact Dave McElveen at d.mcelveen@comcast.net or 850/841-0899.
Extended Field Trip: Southern Arizona, July 14 - 22
Eleven Hairstreak Chapter members and spouses, led by Eric Shaw, are headed to southern Arizona from July 14 - 22 for butterflies, birds, herps, flowers, arachnids, and scenery. We will be visiting sites such as the Sonoran Desert Museum, Mt. Lemmon, Madera Canyon, Patagonia, Miller Canyon (and other nearby canyons), and Chiricahua National Monument. The pace will be relaxed, since we will be based primarily in two places: Green Valley and Sierra Vista. Southern Arizona is blessed with an abundance of butterflies and hummingbirds in mid-summer. We will have a local guide or two to help us find our targets. Photos of the trip will be shared at the Chapter meeting in August.
Count: Tallahassee Butterfly Count, Saturday, July 30
NOTE: You must sign up by July 23 to participate in this event.
Come join us for the Annual Tallahassee Butterfly Count. This is an all-day event, but you can do a partial day if you wish. Four parties will cover the Tallahassee area (see table below).
To sign up, please contact Dave McElveen at d.mcelveen@comcast.net or 850/841-0899 and let him know your party preference and contact info. We will try to accommodate your preference, but cannot guarantee because we need to populate all four parties. You will be contacted by your party leader with your start time and location.
After the Count, we will gather in the early evening at a local restaurant for dinner and a compilation of our results. David Harder is our Count Leader and compiler.
Party
Leader
Main Areas Covered
North
Sally Jue
-Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park
-Miller Landing
South
Dean Jue
-Munson Hills
-Williams Birding Trail
-Black Swamp Nature Preserve
East
Eric Shaw
-Miccosukee Greenway
-Tom Brown Park
-Lafayette Heritage Trail Park
-IFAS Butterfly Garden
West
David Harder
-Fred George Greenway
-N. & S. Ochlockonee Tracts of Lake Talquin S.F.
-Talquin Tract of Lake Talquin S.F.
Report on Florida Caverns Count
On June 4, 2016, nine Chapter members and friends conducted the 13th Annual Florida Caverns Count. We saw 40 species and 290 total individuals. A highlight was 66 Silvery Checkerspots - the most ever seen on the Count, and nearly triples the previous high! No other Count in Florida has this species. Nearly all were seen in the Park.
Our thanks go out to Mary Ann for compiling and submitting the results to NABA. Thanks also go to David Harder for being our trip leader.
Field Trip Report – Big Bend Wildlife Management Area, Spring Creek- Sunday, June 12, 2016
Nine Hairstreak Chapter members enjoyed a leisurely outing cruising along the dirt roads of the Spring Creek WMA near Perry, FL. This was the second time our group had visited the area in June. We were not disappointed, beating the first visit by two species. A total of 41 species were seen including Viceroy, Georgia Satyr, Queen, Little Metalmark, mating Sachems, Great Southern White, Spring Azure, Zebra Heliconian, Salt Marsh Skipper, and Appalachian Brown. Some of the popular nectar plants included Butterfly Weed, Bidens, Seaside Oxeye, and Elderberry. Ten species of dragonfly were seen including Needham’s, Great Blue, Slaty, and Bar-winged Skimmers, Little Blue and Seaside Dragonlet, and Eastern Amberwing. Also seen- a Gray Rat Snake, Swallowtail and Mississippi Kites, Barred Owl, and on our way out a large Gopher Tortoise booking it down the road to its burrow.
From the web
A strange Butterfly-Ant Relationship Discovered in Peru:
https://entomologytoday.org/2016/06/16/a-strange-butterfly-ant-relationship-discovered-in-peru/
Blooming buttonbush, pickerel weed, summer sweet, sunflowers, and butterfly pea attract butterflies at this time of year. We usually see 20-25 species. A sunny North-South powerline cut and a partially-shaded East-West pipeline cut provide convenient walking routes.
We will be walking through vegetation and some areas are swampy so you will need tick and mosquito protection. Bring close-focusing binoculars and water. We will meet in the DEP parking lot on Commonwealth Blvd. at 9 AM. The Tract is about a 5-minute drive from there.
David Harder is our trip leader. If you have questions, contact Dave McElveen at d.mcelveen@comcast.net or 850/841-0899.
Extended Field Trip: Southern Arizona, July 14 - 22
Eleven Hairstreak Chapter members and spouses, led by Eric Shaw, are headed to southern Arizona from July 14 - 22 for butterflies, birds, herps, flowers, arachnids, and scenery. We will be visiting sites such as the Sonoran Desert Museum, Mt. Lemmon, Madera Canyon, Patagonia, Miller Canyon (and other nearby canyons), and Chiricahua National Monument. The pace will be relaxed, since we will be based primarily in two places: Green Valley and Sierra Vista. Southern Arizona is blessed with an abundance of butterflies and hummingbirds in mid-summer. We will have a local guide or two to help us find our targets. Photos of the trip will be shared at the Chapter meeting in August.
Count: Tallahassee Butterfly Count, Saturday, July 30
NOTE: You must sign up by July 23 to participate in this event.
Come join us for the Annual Tallahassee Butterfly Count. This is an all-day event, but you can do a partial day if you wish. Four parties will cover the Tallahassee area (see table below).
To sign up, please contact Dave McElveen at d.mcelveen@comcast.net or 850/841-0899 and let him know your party preference and contact info. We will try to accommodate your preference, but cannot guarantee because we need to populate all four parties. You will be contacted by your party leader with your start time and location.
After the Count, we will gather in the early evening at a local restaurant for dinner and a compilation of our results. David Harder is our Count Leader and compiler.
Party
Leader
Main Areas Covered
North
Sally Jue
-Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park
-Miller Landing
South
Dean Jue
-Munson Hills
-Williams Birding Trail
-Black Swamp Nature Preserve
East
Eric Shaw
-Miccosukee Greenway
-Tom Brown Park
-Lafayette Heritage Trail Park
-IFAS Butterfly Garden
West
David Harder
-Fred George Greenway
-N. & S. Ochlockonee Tracts of Lake Talquin S.F.
-Talquin Tract of Lake Talquin S.F.
Report on Florida Caverns Count
On June 4, 2016, nine Chapter members and friends conducted the 13th Annual Florida Caverns Count. We saw 40 species and 290 total individuals. A highlight was 66 Silvery Checkerspots - the most ever seen on the Count, and nearly triples the previous high! No other Count in Florida has this species. Nearly all were seen in the Park.
Our thanks go out to Mary Ann for compiling and submitting the results to NABA. Thanks also go to David Harder for being our trip leader.
Field Trip Report – Big Bend Wildlife Management Area, Spring Creek- Sunday, June 12, 2016
Nine Hairstreak Chapter members enjoyed a leisurely outing cruising along the dirt roads of the Spring Creek WMA near Perry, FL. This was the second time our group had visited the area in June. We were not disappointed, beating the first visit by two species. A total of 41 species were seen including Viceroy, Georgia Satyr, Queen, Little Metalmark, mating Sachems, Great Southern White, Spring Azure, Zebra Heliconian, Salt Marsh Skipper, and Appalachian Brown. Some of the popular nectar plants included Butterfly Weed, Bidens, Seaside Oxeye, and Elderberry. Ten species of dragonfly were seen including Needham’s, Great Blue, Slaty, and Bar-winged Skimmers, Little Blue and Seaside Dragonlet, and Eastern Amberwing. Also seen- a Gray Rat Snake, Swallowtail and Mississippi Kites, Barred Owl, and on our way out a large Gopher Tortoise booking it down the road to its burrow.
From the web
A strange Butterfly-Ant Relationship Discovered in Peru:
https://entomologytoday.org/2016/06/16/a-strange-butterfly-ant-relationship-discovered-in-peru/
