On a Hunt for Butterflies

by Charity Corkey

Sunday, August 3, 2008

It’s not every day that adults spend a large part of their day chasing butterflies, but Sunday was a special day for butterfly enthusiasts around the area.

Clad in casual hikers’ clothing, many with backpacks and binoculars, about 45 people – mostly adults - from around Northern Virginia tracked butterflies throughout the county for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s annual butterfly count. Beginning at 9 a.m. at locations throughout Loudoun, six teams of volunteers searched for the delicate creatures late into the afternoon.

“In 15 minutes, any fool can learn,” said one of the counters, Fred Bogar, as he compared identifying butterflies with playing golf, “but you spend the rest of your life learning to do it well.”

The purpose of the butterfly count is to record the region’s species and habitats. Covering a 7.5 mile radius, the count includes sections of Leesburg, Lucketts, Waterford, Neersville and Purcellville.

Photo Gallery

Loudoun County's 2008 Butterfly Count

Photo: 0/1

« Previous | Next »

Larger Version

Clockwise from left: Ashley, Josh and Brian Scurlock chase a butterfly at Ida Lee Park during the Loudoun County butterfly count Sunday. (Charity Corkey)

Larger Version

Nicole Hamilton, a butterfly coordinator with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, points to a butterfly during Sunday’s butterfly count in the county. (Charity Corkey)

Larger Version

Ashley Scurlock, 10, reaches for a butterfly during the annual Loudoun County butterfly count. (Charity Corkey)

Larger Version

The Eastern Tiger Swallow Tail was one of the first butterflies spotted during Sunday’s Loudoun County butterfly count. (Charity Corkey)

Larger Version

Siblings Brian and Lindsey Scurlock catch butterflies at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg during the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s butterfly count Sunday. (Charity Corkey)

View all thumbnails

“We go to the same locations each year, so that we’re able to see the trends and how things are changing,” said Nicole Hamilton, butterfly coordinator for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.

The creatures help indicate the health of the environment, as they are susceptible to pollutants, fertilizers and pesticides, Hamilton explained. The number of each species compared with the counts of previous years can reveal the effects of environmental harm, including an increase in predators and changes in the weather patterns. If there’s been a drought, for example, counters might see a reduced number of butterflies for that year.

Mona Miller, a self-proclaimed butterfly enthusiast, said she believes global warming is bringing new types of butterflies to this area. Miller, who Hamilton calls “the butterfly lady,” has a butterfly garden at her home and has been a counter for eight years.

“We’re getting some new species in the area, like the goatweed butterfly,” she said.

During the Loudoun counts, participants can track populations of up to 85 species.

Counters also pay close attention to butterfly host plants, such as milkweed. In their early years as caterpillars, the butterflies-to-be rely on host plants for nutrition, Hamilton explained. Therefore, any changes to host plants can indicate a resulting effect on their corresponding butterflies. Milkweed is the host for the ever-popular monarch butterfly.

The most commonly spotted butterfly in Loudoun is the non-native cabbage white, a European species noted by its pale white wings and ebony specks. Another of the area’s typical butterfly is the eastern tiger swallow tail, a bright yellow butterfly with zebra-like black stripes. On occasion, someone will spot one of the rarer species, such as the red-banded hairstreak.

After 12 years of annual butterfly counts, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has compiled a substantial quantity of data.

“I don’t see any alarming [trends] right now,” Hamilton said. “But we’ll have to take a good look back to see what’s happened over the past 12 years.”

Usually, counters see thousands of butterflies out and about during the annual event. This year’s numbers won’t be final until mid to late August, when Hamilton will publish the results from the six teams.

After the data is collected locally, Hamilton will send it to the North American Butterfly Association – which receives data from other counting teams across the country - for review of regional and national trends.

“It’s really a great chance for us to do citizen science,” Hamilton said. “It gets aggregated up to the national level to have some meaning.”

The information gathered for Loudoun County is also published online by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on its Web site.

Tagged: environment

Your Thoughts...

Are you happy that the school year is over?