"dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna"

Neil Jones neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk
Tue May 1 05:07:52 EDT 2007


On Mon, 2007-04-30 at 08:50 -0400, Roger Kuhlman wrote:
> I too found this article excellent and glad it was posted. We here in
> southeast Michigan have not been having droughts but we have a huge
> problem with habitat destruction and isolated patches of habitat. I
> wish we had detailed, rigourous observations going back 35 years here.
> I am sure they would also show a serious decline in butterfly
> populations. 
>  
> What I do know is that we have lost somewhere between 5 and 10
> butterfly species in southeast Michigan during this time including
> Karner Blue, Frosted Elfin, and Regal Fritillary. A number of other
> species that have been here for a long time are hanging on by a
> thread.
>  
> Roger Kuhlman
> Ann Arbor, Michigan
> 4/30/2007

I am sure a study would show exactly what you think it would.
Internationally we are seeing the same kind of picture where ever a 
study is done.

In southern Britain there has been a FOURTY FOUR PERCENT DECLINE in
larger moths since 1968. We are lucky that data has been collected using
a standard method enabling this to be worked out.
The cause is pretty obvious, intensive agriculture causing habitat
destruction. More use of chemical fertilisers, and pesticides.
Replacement of natural meadows with "Improved" grassland. Agricultural
intensification causes these problems for lepidoptera populations
everywhere it occurs. Climate change isn't helping either.

I did a broadcast on BBC Radio Cymru  last year about the research that
had been done by Butterfly Conservation.

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/news/archive-article.php?id=27


( Cymru  pronounced  KUMREE is the Welsh word for Wales and it is the
BBC's Welsh language radio channel. Wales is one of the constituent
Nations of the United kingdom with Northern Ireland, Scotland and
England)


Neil Jones
Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.butterflyguy.com/


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

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl 
 


More information about the Leps-l mailing list