"dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna"
Stan Gorodenski
stan_gorodenski at asualumni.org
Wed May 2 22:54:44 EDT 2007
Grkovich, Alex wrote:
> Yeah, but again, Roger, at least in one case (and probably more) you
> are speaking of (a) species that has never been anything but rare or
> uncommon there, and presenting it/them as a species "...in
> decline"...There are examples of species that I am sure can no longer
> be found in most parts of Greater Boston, but I'm not going to write
> now and claim that these butterflies are "in trouble"...
>
> I lived in rural southwestern Onytario in the early 60's, and I never
> saw a Zebra Swallowtail until I moved to North Carolina...then I saw
> tons of them...
As a kid around the late 1950's I chased a zebra swallowtail down a road
but never got it. This was Erie, Pennsylvania, maybe about the same
latituded as Michigan?
Stan
>
> Alex
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Roger Kuhlman [mailto:rkuhlman at hotmail.com]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, May 02, 2007 4:20 PM
> *To:* Grkovich, Alex; leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> *Subject:* RE: "dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna"
>
> Alex,
>
> My comments related to endangerment and scarcity of certain
> butterflies refer specifically to the Southeast Michigan counties of
> Monroe, Wayne, Lenawee, and Washtenaw. I am not making any statements
> about the status of these butterflies in the rest of Michigan. Each of
> the butterflies I noted is either extinct, threatened with extinction,
> or severely declining in the local region. There is no exageration or
> excessive hype here. Oh how I wish there was and each of these species
> was doing well or at least ok.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Roger Kuhlman
> Ann Arbor, Michigan
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Subject: RE: "dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna"
> Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 14:02:21 -0400
> From: agrkovich at tmpeng.com
> To: rkuhlman at hotmail.com; leps-l at lists.yale.edu
>
> Roger,
>
> First of all, you're talking about the specific parts of SE
> Michigan that have been swallowed up by suburban Detroit. This is
> NOT at all happening across the State. Also:
>
> Persius Duskywing is probably indigenous to the west; it is
> uncommon to rare everywhere in the East, regardless of development
> or not... Bog Copper is not in any kind of trouble, is common in
> the right habitat everywhere. Zebra Swallowtail has never been
> common, and has always been sporadic with colonies coming and
> going, in southeastern Michigan or in adjacent Ontario - it is
> often extremely common in its typical southern locales. Swamp
> Metalmark is a problem - yes. Brown Elfin? I have to avoid
> stepping all over them over here; you gotta be kidding...Ditto for
> Harris Checkerspot and Indian Skipper. Pipevine Swallowtail is not
> at all in trouble (Bob Kriegel, pers. com.). Columbine Duskywing
> has for a long time been rare. Compton Tortoiseshell: You gotta be
> kidding again; just go to Scott Bog in N NH, plus this one is
> notorious for "periodicity". Two Spotted Skipper is common in its
> right habitat and is easily overlooked.
>
> I guess my point is that everyone knows that man's selfish and
> greedy activities are a problem to those of us who care for the
> Creation. But let's not get into excessive hype.
>
> Alex
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Roger Kuhlman [mailto:rkuhlman at hotmail.com]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, May 02, 2007 12:21 PM
> *To:* Grkovich, Alex; Leps List
> *Subject:* RE: "dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna"
>
> Some of the other butterfly species that have probably gone
> extinct the last 35 years in southeast Michigan (Lenawee, Wayne,
> Washtenaw, and Monroe counties) are Persius Duskywing, Mottled
> Duskywing, Bog Copper and Indian Skipper. Several others including
> Zebra Swallowtail, Swamp Metalmark, Dusted Skipper, Brown Elfin,
> Harris' Checkerspot, Pipevine Swallowtail, Columbine Duskywing,
> Compton's Tortoise Shell, and Two-spotted Skipper are either on
> the verge of extinction or only vagrants today. The Mitchell's
> Satyr population in the area is very small and easily could be
> snuffed out.
>
> Most of this damage can be directly linked to habitat loss or
> fragmentation and the strict control of natural disturbance forces
> like fires and flooding. The introduction and spread of a number
> of invasive non-native plants have played significant supporting
> roles in the harm that has been done. The worst hit habitats are
> various prairie-type habitats and the now, uncommon wetland
> habitats like fens and bogs. The negative changes in these
> productive habitats are human induced. With fewer people living in
> our area and less development all these habitats would be in much
> better shape than they are today.
>
> Roger Kuhlman
> Ann Arbor, Michigan
>
> > No one is goint to argue that 'overdevelopment' has been going
> on at an
> > alarming rate everywhere in the U.S., including here in eastern
> > Massachusetts (in our neighborhood for example). Condominium
> > construction is going on at a 'fever pace'...However, I
> understand that
> > the condo market is also cooling (thanksfully)...Habitat
> destruction is
> > a concern...for sure...
> >
> > However, Roger, I wanted to ask: What are the 5 to 10 butterfly
> species
> > in southeast Michigan that are either extinct or in trouble? Regal
> > Fritillary decline is well-known, although this may have most to
> do with
> > the decline of a Prairie-species in regions in which 'prairies' are
> > being overgrown by forest succcessions; and the Regal has NEVER been
> > common either in Ontario OR Michigan...Lupine feeders (Karner Blue,
> > Frosted Elfin ecotype) have been similarly declining over the
> past few
> > decades - and this is quite apparently connected also with secondary
> > succession; however the irus-feeding Frosted Elfin ecotype is
> holding
> > its own (at least here in the northeast)...As far as I know, (at
> least)
> > most species in Michigan and Ontario are in healthy shape overall...
> >
> > Conservationists should be most concerned about, however,
> stopping these
> > wars that are going on all over the globe. That's the most
> destructive
> > aspect to man's 'activities' on the planet. Much more than
> 'habitat' is
> > lost.
> >
> > Alex
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> [mailto:owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu]
> > On Behalf Of Paul Cherubini
> > Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 5:37 PM
> > To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> > Subject: Re: 'dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna'
> >
> > 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.
> >
> > Roger, if the habitat destruction has been 'huge' then you could
> > document it via the historical aerial photos that are available
> in your
> > larger local university libraries (map depts. of the libraries) and
> > compare them with recent Google Earth photos.
> >
> > Google Earth is a cool new tool that can be used to show what is
> really
> > going on with butterfly habitats. For example, on the south
> island of
> > New Zealand a couple entomologists have written a phamplet about the
> > monarch overwintering sites in the city of Chirstchurch. In the
> phamplet
> > they say the monarch numbers seem to be increasing:
> > http://www.ccc.govt.nz/parks/theenvironment/MonarchButterflies.pdf
> >
> > Here's the general location of the city of Christchurch, New
> Zealand:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/ccisland.jpg
> > And here's an aerial view of the general location of the three
> monarch
> > overwintering sites in Christchurch :
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/ccover.jpg
> >
> > Here is what the phamplet says about the St. James Park
> overwintering
> > site in Christchurch:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/stjam.jpg
> > And here is an actual Google Earth photo of the site:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/ccstj.jpg
> >
> > Here is what the phamplet says about the Abberley Park overwintering
> > site in Christchurch:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/abb.jpg
> > And here is an actual Google Earth photo of the site:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/ccaber.jpg
> >
> > Here is what the phamplet says about the Ruru Lawn Cemetery
> > overwintering site in Christchurch:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/ruru.jpg
> > And here is an actual Google Earth photo of the site:
> > http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/ccruru.jpg
> >
> > Thus Google Earth provides indisputable physical evidence that
> monarch
> > butterflies in New Zealand are choosing and using man made
> overwintering
> > habitats in an extremely urbanized setting even though much more
> natural
> > and rural habitats are available nearby.
> >
> > Paul Cherubini
> > El Dorado, Calif.
> >
> >
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