Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site

Phenology has interested me for going on half a century. I began keeping phenological records of butterflies as a teenager in Philadelphia. As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania I took a community ecology course from Jack McCormick, who was under contract to do an ecological study of the Tinicum wetlands (near Philadelphia International Airport). I had been doing an informal faunistic study of the place, purely for the fun of it, and had tons of data. A summary of this work was ultimately incorporated into Jack’s report. The study had a significant phenological component. Harry K. Clench, a butterfly taxonomist at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh and one of the founding members of the Lepidopterists’ Society, published a phenological study of the butterflies of the Powdermill Nature Reserve in southwestern Pennsylvania, and sent me a copy. As I recall, we had already corresponded about the occurrence of unusual Hairstreaks (Lycaenidae) in southeastern Pennsylvania, a subject on which I had published field notes at a tender age. Thus began a correspondence on phenology which continued until Harry’s sudden death. Harry was “into” curve fitting. He had a sine function that worked pretty well for Powdermill, but not for Philadelphia. I was very leery of the approach: prediction was useful, but not nearly so useful as a method that cast light on the underlying mechanisms. The parameters in Harry’s equations were not obviously biologically meaningful.

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Wed Mar 19, 6:12 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The capital's famous cherry trees are primed to burst out in a perfect pink peak about the end of this month. Thirty years ago, the trees usually waited to bloom till around April 5.

In central California, the first of the field skipper sachem, a drab little butterfly, was fluttering about on March 12. Just 25 years ago, that creature predictably emerged there anywhere from mid-April to mid-May.

And sneezes are coming earlier in Philadelphia. On March 9, when allergist Dr. Donald Dvorin set up his monitor, maple pollen was already heavy in the air. Less than two decades ago, that pollen couldn't be measured until late April.

Pollen is bursting. Critters are stirring. Buds are swelling. Biologists are worrying.

Link to full story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/20/MN98VMP3R.DT...

In the highlands of central Mexico, millions of monarch butterflies soon will stir from their winter torpor, rising from groves of oyamel firs like flowers taking flight. Their unique annual migration offers scientists a rare insight into the molecular biology of time and travel.

"What good is a butterfly?" said entomologist Lincoln Brower at Virginia's Sweet Briar College. "It can tell you about the fundamental biology of all creatures on this earth. There is something so fundamental about finding your way."

In a majestic seasonal rite, a new generation of monarchs flies to Mexico every fall from summer breeding grounds in Canada. This past year, they formed a billowing wind-borne quilt of 55 million or more.

Click on the link below to read more.

URL: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120233944314148959.html?mod=hpp_us_insid...

Authors:  Arthur M. Shapiro and Tim Manolis
Publisher:  University of California Press

Description
The California Tortoiseshell, West Coast Lady, Red Admiral, and Golden Oak Hairstreak are just a few of the many butterfly species found in the floristically rich San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley regions. This guide, written for both beginning and experienced butterfly watchers by one of the nation's best-known professional lepidopterists, provides thorough, up-to-date information on all of the butterfly species found in this diverse and accessible region. Written in lively prose, it discusses the natural history and conservation status for these butterflies and at the same time provides an integrated view of butterfly biology based on studies conducted in northern California and around the world. Compact enough for use in the field, the guide also includes tips on butterfly watching, photography, gardening, and more.

• Discusses and identifies more than 130 species
• Species accounts include information on identifying butterflies through behavior, markings, and host plants
• Beautiful full-color plates illustrate top and bottom views of wings for easier identification
• Includes a species checklist and a glossary

Buy this book online
To purchase the book or see more details from the UC Press website, visit the following link. UC Press Bookpage