Butterfly fans brave July heat to attend Butterfly Day

	Shenandoah National Park Ranger Mary Willeford-Bair (at left, with binoculars) helps Butterfly Day attendees identify one of the butterfly species found during the identification walk. Photo by Carl Zitzmann.

by Pam Owen, Fall 2006

It was hot. It was humid. It was July in Rappahannock. That didn't stop 34 butterfly enthusiasts from attending the Biodiversity Task Force's Butterfly Day July 15 at Bruce and Susan Jones' property.

The day started with a short but thorough presentation by Shenandoah National Park Ranger Mary Willeford-Bair, a Forest Health Biological Science Technician, on why butterflies are important and how to identify Rappahannock's native species. Since the talk was outdoors, Willeford-Bair brought books and her collection of butterfly specimens to demonstrate the finer points of butterfly identification.

She pointed out the key variations in markings, color, and size among species. Then she led attendees through the Joneses' naturalized fields to see how many species of butterflies they could identify. Willeford-Bair and her charges managed to tally an impressive 18 species among approximately 45 species known to be native to the Virginia Piedmont.

Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona), one of the 18 species of butterflies identified at the Biodiversity Task Force's Butterfly Day in July 2006. The surprise of the day was when a Meadow Fritillary landed in a participant's net during the butterfly identification walk. Photo by Mike Reese, www.wisconsinbutterflies.org.

Willeford-Bair's enthusiasm for butterflies was infectious. Every time any new butterfly was discovered on the walk, She came running and called out whatever it was so that everyone could behold the spectacle. Even if you were standing far away from the group making a discovery, you caught the enthusiasm and bustle.

After the butterfly identification walk, Bruce Jones showed interested attendees how he has put in native plants to attract butterflies and songbirds.

Butterfly Day was held in conjunction with Rappahannock County's first butterfly count, also sponsored by the Biodiversity Task Force. Volunteers from the Task Force received training at Blandy Experimental Farm. For seven weeks in July and August, the Task Force counters, joined by volunteers from among the Butterfly Day attendees, tallied the butterfly species within an area of their properties.

Although this first year is more of a dry run, we'll use the data to start building a baseline for species in the county and will also share the data with the Clarke County Natural Resources Mapping Project. Next year we'll be ready for a more extensive count and will be looking for volunteers. If you're interested, write to biodiversity@RLEP.org or call the Task Force's Butterfly Group coordinator, Ruth Anna Stolk, at 202-422-3693.

		BUTTERFLIES IDENTIFIED ON THE WALK Blues: Summer Azure Eastern Tailed Blue Brushfoots: Pearl Crescent Great Spangled Fritillary Meadow Fritillary Variegated Fritillary Hairstreaks/Elfins: Red-Banded Hairstreak An Elfin [species not determined] Milkweed: Monarch Satyrs: Common Wood-Nymph Sulphurs/Whites: Orange Sulphur Cabbage White Swallowtails:   Black Swallowtail Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Spicebush Swallowtail Skippers, Grass: Silver Spotted Skipper European Skipper Little Glassywing
Bruce Jones (at left) explains to Butterfly Day attendees how naturalizing his property has helped to attract native butterflies and songbirds. Photo by Carl Zitzmann.