the doldrums

[Hank & Priscilla Brodkin]

Ron Gatrelle wrote:

> Butterflying on the 4th of July is next to worthless here in the deep
> South. It may be great in Maine or the Sierras but not in lower North
> Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
> Louisiana, Arkansas, much of Texas, non-montane Tennessee, etc.  If there
> is any Birder tradition that is for-the-birds when it comes to butterflies,
> it's the 4th of July "count". As I told someone who wanted to have a 4th
> count at their nature preserve recently - I don't even go out that time of
> year. In the Appalachian mountains good stuff is out then - but not in the
> hot humid sweat belt.
> 
> In our region the counts need to be as Harry suggests - one for the spring
> species and one for the fall species.
> Ron

Ron, Harry et al:
This has never been a problem down here.  The southeastern Arizona
counts have always begun at the end of July through August after our
"monsoons" are well under way and the majority of skippers and possible
Mexican strays are around.  This year one person has scheduled a count
for July 18 near Tucson - a date that may prove a little early for the
optimum number of species?
As far as I know there has never been a mandate to conduct the 4th of
July counts on the 4th of July, especially in those parts of the country
where this is not appropriate.
To quote the guidelines:
"A count may be held earlier or later than this period [centered around
the 4th of July] if this is advantageous for counting butterflies in
that area and if the count is held held about this same time each year."
-- 
	             Hank & Priscilla Brodkin
	          Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
                   Send Mailto:hankb at theriver.com
             SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association
          http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
         "Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide" 
    by Bob Stewart, Priscilla and Hank Brodkin - due September 2001
         http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/book.html

 
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