wild release doesn't work?

[Anne Kilmer]

At ground central here, I can report that the atala is, in general, a managed
species in the part of South Florida I'm playing with (Palm Beach County and its
neighboring counties). It exists in people's gardens, because they like it and care
for it. This includes removing excess numbers of the larvae, as they are quite
capable of killing the host plant.
    As butterfliers are tender-hearted, this means finding a friend with coontie (a
slow-growing expensive cycad), and giving them some of your extra bugs.
    The atala fairy has been known to make deliveries at parks and malls where the
gardeners were not entirely happy to see the caterpillars.
    Because of this phenomenon, and the movement -- deliberate and accidental -- of
the atala on nursery stock, it is difficult to make any sort of study of the atala.
    However, there are now plenty of atalas, which is rather the point, don't you
think?
    We won't be able to play this silly game with the Schaus swallowtail, although I
am promoting the use of wild lime as a hedge plant, because the government's
involvement (it's listed as endangered) prevents our passing it around. We can't
even tell folks where it has settled in, because government restrictions may
actually keep a homeowner from mowing lawns and pruning bushes where the butterfly
has been seen.
So if, for instance, I were to arrange to have a colony started in the zoo where I
hang out, it could seriously inconvenience the neighbors.
This is an idiotic situation, and I hope we get it worked out pretty soon, which is
why I'm always glad when the issue comes up.
The real question is what's best for the butterflies. As an indicator of a healthy
environment, they are terribly important. When they are there, we can assume that
the bees, beetles, birds and so forth are right there too.
    But I worry that we're rearing and encouraging the big, showy butterflies at the
expense of the others. That's why my little book is supposed to list all the local
butterflies and their host plants, not just a dozen common ones.
Habitat preservation and restoration is the important thing. Butterflies are the
bait that catches the attention of the gardeners, and then the developers and at
last the government.
But unless we're really focused on a balanced ecology, we'll be rearing and
releasing six species while the others quietly vanish.
    That's why Neil and Harry seem to be disagreeing. Harry just wants lots of
butterflies, and Neil wants his marsh fritillary. They're both absolutely right, but
I hope we can remake the world nearer to Neil's heart's desire.
Meanwhile, we are dragging our legislators in every direction at once. The
developers have one direction, and can give a long, steady pull, all together, at
will. And guess where the money is.
    We, however, have the Department of Symbolism on our side. The poets and the
schoolkids carry a lot of weight. Even the garden clubs are not without a voice, and
it is now firmly on our side, in favor of the environment.
    But we need an intelligent plan. We need hard data on how it works to have
outdoor butterfly farms, and butterfly-gathering safaris. I like photos, myself ...
it's like counting coup; you could have had it, but there it still is.
    However, if we're going to get all the children, worldwide, outdoors in the
gardens, I suspect they'd enjoy making a bug collection. And if you collect the
first few squash bugs, for instance, there won't be many in your garden.
So I've lightened up on the matter of collecting. I still hate rear and release,
despite the arguments of the scientists, because we're talking about thousands of
gardeners here; thousands and thousands of butterflies. But I could be wrong.
    As long as there are plenty of butterflies growing up outside, I guess you can
have some in little boxes in your porch for pleasure ... why not? It's the notion
that we have to save them all that bothers me. I like the exuberant ways of Nature,
and the notion that there will always be plenty more caterpillars, despite jay and
rook and starling.
I'm wondering now, how far north has the malachite, Siproeta stelenes, spread. We've
seen it a few times in northern Palm Beach County ...
Opening people's eyes is the trick. I've seen children gasp in wonder at a slide,
and ignore the actual butterfly outside their classroom. Leptotes cassius is tiny,
but it's awesome.
Teaching them to see is the key. I know we're all working on that.
Anne Kilmer viceroy at gate.net
South Florida

John V. Calhoun wrote:

> Pavulaan at aol.com wrote:
>
> > Eumaeus atala was once believed to be extirpated from southern Florida, in the
>  > early 60's, I believe.
>  > Anybody down there have an update, or wish to expand on this?
>
>  Harry;
>
> You are basically correct.

snip

> The widespread planting of cycads, both native and exotic, has provided

> the species with an abundance of hosts.  It has recently been recorded
> in Indian River County, Florida, nearly 100 miles north of the original
> sites created in the early 1980's.  This range expansion has probably
> exceeded the historical distribution of the species, at least to the
> north.  Although the plants naturally occur into north-central Florida,
> no atala have yet been found there.  However, based on the continued
> utilization of coontie as roadside plantings, I would suspect that it
> will eventually be found along the west coast of Florida, perhaps
> reaching Sarasota (or even further).  I would also expect it to continue
> expanding its range northward along the east coast, perhaps reaching New
> Smyrna Beach or beyond.  Although the species would probably not survive
> cold winters, it may establish temporary populations in these areas.
> Time will tell.  I don't think the last chapter of the atala story has
> yet been written.
>
> One thing to realize is that the abundance of atala is known to wildly
> fluctuate.  In fact, it does not seem to be as common in some of the
> areas where it once prospered.  Undoubtedly, Hurricane Andrew dealt it a
> severe blow in 1992 in the Homestead area.
>
> Hope this is of interest.  Take care.
>
> Best,
> John