Fourth of July Butterfly Count

The 25th annual Fourth of July Butterfly count, organized by the North American Butterfly Association, has just been completed. There are thirty counts in the Great Lakes Region, one of which focuses on southwest Washtenaw County (SWWC), where the fifth such count was conducted on June 27th. SWWC is routinely the third most diverse in the Great Lakes Region, in terms of butterfly species identified. Each year the number of species identified has increased, from 26 in 1995 to 41 in 1999. There are even more species that can be found earlier or later in the year.

There were a total of eight butterfly enthusiasts in this year’s group, led by John M. Swales, a professor at the University of Michigan who enjoys studying butterflies, birds and amphibians in their natural habitat as an avocation. More information on the SWWC count can be had by calling Martin Bialecki at 734-428-7794. The other local count in our area is in the Saline River Watershed. For information on starting your own butterfly count write to NABA, 4 Delaware Road, Morristown, NJ 07960, or visit their website at www.naba.org.

Fieldnotes on the 1999 count, by John M. Swales:

Good florescence, good weather and improving coverage doubtless all contributed to our highest totals for both species and individuals so far. That said, the number of Silverbordered Fritillaries in the “hanging fen” was disappointingly low, and Edwards’ Hairstreak could not be relocated at the Sharon Hollow powerline cut. At about 2 p.m. we were about to drive from one site to the next when we noticed a hairstreak had unaccountably infiltrated the car. Close eyeballing, assisted by a magnifying lens, eventually confirmed our first Hickory Hairstreak for the county! After five years, the cumulative species count has reached 60.

SWWC Butterfly Count Cumulative Species 1995-1999

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Design by Kenny King.