Re: [SBB] Henry Coe

[[[email protected]]]

There is a list devoted to butterfly sightings for northern California,
NorCalLeps, I think. It would be the perfect place to post your Bay Area
butterfly sightings. Unfortunately, I no longer have the URL to join it.
If Adam W. or other members of that list would be so kind as to post the
information on joining that list? I know they would be thrilled to have
your input on butterfly sightings, and it would be the correct place to
post them.

Les Chibana
Volcano, HI


Quoting Garth Harwood <[[email protected]]>:

> Hi Michael et al.,
>
> Michael's inclusion of a few butterfly sightings may be a good 
> precedent for the list, at least for this season. Although we surely 
> don't want to set a precedent of wandering very far off-topic (this 
> list's tight birding focus being what makes it so valuable), 
> nonetheless, I'm sure many of us enjoy spotting butterflies and 
> dragonflies through our optics as well.
>
> Butterfly sightings may have special conservation significance this 
> summer. The May 9 SF Chronicle front page lead article spotlights an 
> unprecedented single-year dropoff in numbers of butterflies 
> throughout lowland areas of the state. Many species are virtually 
> absent from their known habitats this year. All that foul spring 
> weather seems to have interrupted the life cycles of immature 'flies 
> rather drastically.
>
> Assuming we are as careful in our butterfly ID work as we are with 
> birds, it may be useful in conservation research to have some of our 
> sightings on record among those of our birds, as we represent perhaps 
> the largest bloc of careful observers wandering around out there.
>
> At Hidden Villa, where I have recorded more than 40 butterfly 
> species, I am seeing less than 20 so far this season (May is a peak 
> month for diversity here.) I'm glad to say that I saw my first 
> California Sister of the year here today; normally they are abundant 
> near oaks by now. A few Mourning Cloaks have passed through in the 
> past couple of weeks. Variable (Chalcedon) Checkerspots are present 
> in fair numbers, but at no more than 25-50% of typical numbers. 
> Similarly, one can see a sprinkling of Echo Blues on the farm now, 
> but at numbers well below those expected at this time of year. Some 
> Green Hairstreaks are active in Hidden Villa chaparral areas, and 
> I've seen several Pale Swallowtails over the past week.
> On 4/29 I observed a Sara Orangetip here, but they are never common at HV.
>
> I promise to include some token birds in my next 'bug post'.
>
> --Garth Harwood
>
>


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