Pyrgus centaureae wyandot

Tue May 16 00:02:15 EDT 2000

We all have one of the best educational resources in the world, in your
website. You should be very proud. Thank you, David Bohlken

----- Original Message -----
From: Randy Emmitt <birdcr at CONCENTRIC.NET>
To: <Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca>
Cc: <Leptraps at aol.com>; <LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2000 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: Pyrgus centaureae wyandot

> Folks,
>
> For the record I`m not against collecting entirely. I feel it`s a good
thing for
> museums, educational facilities and universities. I just don`t understand
this
> kind of concept:
>  "  There is no substitute for voucher specimens; new records that are not
> substantiated by
> a good photograph, voucher specimen, or multiple qualified observers are
> generally not accepted as new records."
>
> A person that has seen a  rare or fairly common  bug either photographed
or
> collected it numberous times should know and be qualified to take a record
on a
> good sighting in the field by himself without taking a voucher specimen or
> photograph period! I find it appalling that in the year 2000 that a
qualified
> person can`t be taken for his word on a simple thing as a new county
record.
>
> As for " hand-wringing of the armchair doomsayers who spend little time in
the
> field." I personally found 125 species in NC last year and had  200+ new
county
> records including 29 species in one county in 1.5 hours with another
qualified
> person. Also thus far this year I`ve seen  nearly 90 species so far and
had
> perhaps a 100+ new county records. I get out in the field and take notes
and
> photographs 2-3 days a week. I also spend a lot of money with long trips,
many
> many rolls of film purchased and developed, photographic equipment and  a
> massive educational butterfly website with over 100 species of butterflies
with
> live photos that educates people on how to ID  and find live butterflies.
So you
> see I`m not an armchair doomsayer by any means!
>
> As for my house removing habitat that seems funny because the way my
landscape
> is set up it`s now actually improved habitat with 65 species of
butterflies and
> 108 species of birds having been seen here there`s the proof.
>
> Leroy noted that we kill way more bugs with our cars and development and I
agree
> with that it`s something we don`t have any control over. In the case of
some of
> these rarities a long walk into a meadow or forest to find the suitable
and
> fragmented habitat that is nowhere near cars or civilization a collection
of a
> few specimens could endanger the entire colony. Get mad at me and call me
names
> if you will, that`s just the way I see it.
>
> Randy L Emmitt
> Rougemont, NC
> Butterflies found In NC Online!
> http://www.rlephoto.com/butterflies/butterflies.html
>
> "Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX" wrote:
>
> > Leroy, many thanks for sharing your knowledge of this butterfly and also
for
> > caring enough to add to our collective knowledge of butterflies by
spending
> > your valuable time and money to do so.  I too have spent a small fortune
> > exploring the wonders of the natural world and finding out what lives
where.
> > I have consistently found that the conventional wisdom as reflected in
> > publications and databases is not so wise after all; most organisms seem
to
> > be more widespread than one would conclude from the hand-wringing of the
> > armchair doomsayers who spend little time in the field.  It is sometimes
> > depressing to find that in human society there are those who insist on
> > criticizing people who add to our knowledge and would rather that we all
> > live by their personal opinion of what is moral and ethical.  There is
no
> > substitute for voucher specimens; new records that are not substantiated
by
> > a good photograph, voucher specimen, or multiple qualified observers are
> > generally not accepted as new records.  Despite the growing impediments
to
> > biodiversity data collection that are perpetrated by do-gooders with
> > personal agendas; society needs more keen people out and about to see
what
> > is really going on.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Leptraps at aol.com [mailto:Leptraps at aol.com]
> > Sent: Friday, May 12, 2000 9:46 PM
> > To: LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu
> > Subject: RE: Pyrgus centaureae wyandot
> >
> > Let me try another nickel worths:
> >
> > I can see that somebody does not like my collecting habits. I lived in
the
> > mountains of Virginia from 1974 to 1982. Our home in Augusta County was
set
> > deep in a heavily wooded area on 97 acres. Pyrgus centaureae wyandot
would
> > visit the Pussy Toe's that bloomed in openings in the woods. I loved to
> > collect in the mountains of Virginia, especially in the spring. I never
had
> > a
> > problem locating populations of Pyrgus centaureae wyandot. I only
collect
> > few
> > specimens from each location for the record. I visited one area near
> > Blacksburg, Virginia in 1992 and found Pyrgus centaureae wyandot still
> > present and in good numbers. However, I was not looking for Pyrgus
> > centaureae
> > wyandot, I was searching for Erora laeta, which was also present.
> >
> > I spend lots of time in the field, and I take voucher specimens wherever
I
> > go, for the record. My specimens are a natural history record. I never
> > understood the listing of Pyrgus centaureae wyandot, maybe some people
need
> > to go look for it like I did. Either with a net (MY CHOICE) or a camera.
> > They
> > would be surprised at what they might find.
> >
> > And Mr. Emmit, I did report the vast majority of my records in the News
of
> > the Southern Lepidopterists' Society and the Season Summary of the
> > Lepidopterists Society. I also gave the majority of my records to Dr.
Opler
> > when he was working on the Butterflies East of the Great Plains. They
were
> > in
> > the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina in the 1970s and 1980s, it
was
> > still in the mountains when I left Virginia in 1983, and they were still
> > there in the 1990s, and I will bet they are still there now. I am not
> > attempting to be a smart ass, but who is out in the mountains looking
for it
> >
> > now? I am just curious.
> >
> > The small number of specimens that I remove from nature is nothing when
> > compared to the number that a bulldozer blade will take out. A prime
> > example,
> > drive south down the Florida Turnpike from Palm Beach County, after you
> > enter
> > Broward County you will smell the Pompano Landfill before you see it.
Look
> > to
> > the West, that was once 605 acres of Cypress Wetlands and Hard Wood
Forest
> > of
> > sorts, a place where I collected and will soon be houses. How many
> > butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, rabbits, birds, snakes, mosquitoes,
> > cockroaches, etc., etc., were lost to this land clearing project.
However,
> > once the houses are built there will be a need for pest control people
to
> > get
> > whatever manages to survive. Now there's a viscous cycle!
> >
> > I live in Florida now, you would be surprised by what I have found since
I
> > moved back hear in 1998! And yes, I still reported my collecting records
in
> > the news of the Southern Lepidopterists' Society.
> >
> > Leroy C. Koehn
> > 6085 Wedgewood Village Circle
> > Lake Worth, FL 33463-7371
> > Hm: 561-966-1655
> > Cell: 561-301-4215
> > E-mail: Leptraps at aol.com
>