b-fly releases at events

[Anthony Cynor]

Obviously you have pointed out a justification for your work. However you say
the V. cardui got there under their own power.  Can you actually demonstrate
the truth of this and can you show actual differences in counts since releases
began that can be considered accurate?  By accurate I mean that while you were
looking in one direction five butterflies could have passed behind you. Your
data regarding the start of releases is how accurate? Such counts appear to be
subject to great innaccuracies because of the difficulty of accurately
detecting the organisms in the first place.

While the study is justified the reliability must remain in question and I
doubt releases account for much difference in counts.  By the way if you do
object to releases maybe a system should be proposed to retain the adults in
captivity as an additional educational experience.  Or perhaps they should use
Caligo atreus so that you know the animal is an exotic.  I don't think those
would survive your climate

Tony

Kenelm Philip wrote:

>         Anthony Cynor commented, with regard to my remark about the re-
> leasing of _V. cardui_ in Alaska by schools:
>
> > I don't think this is detrimental, except to your activities which are of
> > what use?
>
>         Use, I would guess, is always in the eye of the beholder. Mr.
> Cynor may have no use for the Alaska Lepidoptera Survey--a project which
> has now been running for 30 years, and is building up a picture of the
> butterfly fauna of Alaska (and, to some extent, of Beringia as well).
> Other lepidopterists, however, have assured me this project is indeed
> worthwhile--especially considering the poor state of our knowledge of
> the western North American arctic/subarctic butterfly fauna, and the
> fact that this large region is still comparatively undisturbed by
> human activities (at least compared to much of the lower 48 states).
>
>                                                         Ken Philip
> fnkwp at uaf.edu