July 24, 2014 /
Naba Butterfly Gardener /
16 Comments
/
Habitat
Spicebush Swallowtail nectaring on Cardinalflower
Every summer, we wait to see what butterflies will visit our gardens. Some years we wait longer than others and start to wonder “where are the butterflies?”
Users of NABA-Chat, a listserve where members of North American Butterfly Association can post questions and seek feedback on all things concerning butterflies, have been pondering the low numbers of Monarchs seen so far this year in North America. Other butterflies have been mentioned and also seem to be in short supply.
From State College, PA, Annapolis, MD, Mansfield, OH, Houston, TX, and Montclair, NJ, NABA members have reported low numbers so far.
What butterflies have visited your garden this month? Are you seeing as many butterflies as in past years? Please include your location with your information.
July 23, 2014 /
Naba Butterfly Gardener /
Habitat
NABA hosts “Sightings“, a page where you may post your recent butterfly sightings. All butterfly sightings are welcome, but very unusual sightings will be labeled as “possible” unless accompanied by a recognizable photograph, or convincing description of the butterfly and the circumstances of its sighting.
Photos, such as this Pipevine Swallowtail seen and photographed by Stephen Buckingham in Morris County, NJ, often accompany the butterfly lists, making Sightings a useful guide for new butterfliers who are learning to identify butterflies. Watch for sightings in your location to learn what butterflies might be seen in your garden or on your field trip!
July 15, 2014 /
Naba Butterfly Gardener /
Habitat
Walmart To Kill (About To Be) Federally Endangered Bartram’s Scrub-Hairstreaks
Bartram’s Scrub-Hairstreak
Paving paradise to put up a parking lot? Perhaps so in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Globally imperilled habitat currently home to at least two rare butterflies, Bartram’s Scrub-Hairstreak, which is expected to be named to the endangered species list this summer, and the Atala, which almost went extinct in the middle of the 20th century, might soon become home to Walmart.
The Miami Herald covers the full story.
