Queen in NJ: what should its status be

[Paul Cherubini]

Harry Pavulaan wrote:

>Which brings about the topic of deliberate releases: If people are going 
> to release butterflies, I would like to suggest that suppliers ought to PLEASE 
> tag or mark their butterflies (at least those being shipped out of their "normal" 
> range) with an obvious mark so at least the first-generation releasees are
> identifiable as such.

Harry, the USDA laws already forbid shipping butterflies out of their
natural range for release. Also, the Queen butterfly is not one of the nine
widespread migratory species the USDA allows to be shipped for release. 
Finally,  90+% of all the butterflies shipped for release are just Monarchs and
Painted Ladies. For all these reasons it is extremely unlikely that the Queens
and Gulf Fritillaries sighted in New England were shipped there from a 
southern State. 

With regard to the suggestion of tagging, breeders might be receptive to this
IF it could be demonstated with a mathematical model or cast history evidence that
there was a reasonable chance of an observer coming across an individual 
monarch or Painted Lady that had been deliberately released (even one of many from a 
mass-release).  But the odds appear to be near zero, or perhaps along the lines
of one sighting in a metropolitan area every several years or so.

A couple practical examples: Over the years, monarchs have rarely been seen in 
San Diego and Los Angeles in summer (with a few exceptions such as 
butterfly gardens planted with alot of milkweed and a few isolated wild areas
with alot of milkweed). Since about 1995,  thousands of 
monarchs have been shipped to these cities in summer for wedding and funeral 
releases. This influx of artificial migrants has not increased the frequency of summer 
monarch sightings by the many lep enthusiasts living in these urban areas.  

A bit of math: Say 100 monarchs are released in a residential area of Los Angeles for
someone's funeral. If these 100 butterflies disperse over a 20 square mile area after
two days this means there are 5 monarchs per square mile. That's 5 monarchs
per every 640 acres. Since the average home sits on very roughly 1/5 acre, that's
5 monarchs per every 3,200 homes in the area or one monarch per 640 homes.

Yes the odds of a butterfly observer spotting a deliberately released
monarch do seem astronomical - even in a metropolitan area. One last note:
The average wedding or funeral release involves just 1-3 dozen monarchs
or painted ladies, not hundreds. Few brides or widowers can afford the cost 
of hundreds of butterflies.

Paul Cherubini

 
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