the way it was in suburban habitats

[Paul Cherubini]

Patrick Foley wrote:

> Do you have any documentation for your claim that there has been no downward
> trend in butterfly numbers in the Bay Area? 

No, I just stated an opinion that I did not feel there has not been "a huge drop"
like Richard Worth believed.

I think it is curious that when lepidopterists are especially
motivated to find butterflies in suburban habitats (such as when trying
to document species occurrence in hopes of blocking land development
plans) they may have remarkably good luck. 

For example, I came across the following impressive species
occurrence list for a park threatened by development in Ann Arbor, 
Michigan:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Kuhlman
Northeast Area Park,  Ann Arbor, Michigan Butterfly Sightings in 2001

Species                   Scientific      Total  Last
Cabbage White              Pieris rapae    472  10/23
Baltimore            Euphydryas phaeton    194   7/6
Clouded Sulphur        Colias philodice    188  12/3
Pearl Crescent         Phyciodes tharos    153  9/10
Red Admiral            Vanessa atalanta    145  10/23
Wild Indigo Duskywing Erynnis baptisiae    123  10/3
Alfalfa Butterfly      Colias eurytheme    123  12/3
Little Wood Satyr        Megisto cymela     69  7/20
European Skipper     Thymelicus lineola     49   7/6
Black Swallowtail     Papilio polyxenes     43  8/14
Monarch                Danaus plexippus     41  10/12
Wood Nymph       Cercyonis pegala alope     40  8/14
Silver-spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus    40  9/10
Painted Lady            Vanessa carduii     34  8/24
Viceroy             Limenitis archippus     33  9/10
Eastern-tailed Blue     Everes comyntas     32  10/3
White Colias             Colias species     32  10/23
Eyed Brown           Satyrodes eurydice     31  7/31
Hobomok's Skipper        Poanes hobomok     30  6/13
Mulberry Wing          Poanes massasoit     21  7/31
American Painted Lady Vanessa virginiensis  20  7/20
Black Dash            Euphyes conspicua     13  7/31
Delaware Skipper       Anatrytone logan     12  7/20
Least Skipper       Ancyloxypha numitor     11  8/24
Spring Azure           Celastrina ladon     10  5/17
Peck's Skipper          Polites peckius     10  10/3
Appalachian Eyed Brown Satyrodes appalachia  8  7/31
Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis      7  8/14
Tiger Swallowtail       Papilio glaucus      6  8/14
Summer Azure        Celastrina neglecta      5  7/31
Tawny Edged Skipper Polites themistocles     5  8/14
Mourning Cloak        Nymphalis antiopa      4  7/6
Juvenal's Duskywing   Erynnis juvenalis      3  6/13
Great Spangled Fritillary Speyeria cybele    3  8/24
Eastern Comma           Polygonia comma      3  10/23
Fiery Skipper        Hylephilia phyleus      2  10/3
Long Dash                Polites mystic      2  6/22
Northern Broken Dash Wallengrenia egeremet   2  7/31
Northern Pearly Eye     Enodia anthedon      2  7/6
Dun Skipper             Euphyes vestris      1  7/1
Horace Duskywing       Erynnis horatius      1  7/31
Acadian Hairstreak     Satyrium acadica      1  7/20
Buckeye                  Junonia coenia      1  10/23
Red-spotted Purple   Limenitis arthemis      1  7/20
Sleepy Duskywing          Erynnis brizo      1  5/17
Variegated Fritillary Euptoieta claudia      1  7/20
Little Glassywing        Pompeius verna      1  7/1

Total Species  46           Total Butterflies 2029

 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

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