Category Archives: climate change

In Defense of Plants: Butterflies in a Changing World

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Rick

This week’s drop of a new podcast from In Defense of Plants (a terrific weekly listen if you don’t already know it) features University of Arizona’s Katy Prudic (an eButterfly co-director) as she discusses work she has been doing with … Continue reading →

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Urban Life for Leps is Driving Their Evolution

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Rick

Much work has been done on the effects of urbanization, and especially light and sounds, on bird fauna.  In general, the effects have been fairly striking, including more singing at “night” (because there is artificial lighting) and changes to song … Continue reading →

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A Skipper Out of Sync With Its Nectar Source?

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Rick

This is likely to be the weekend that the first Leonard’s Skipper shows up at Soldiers Delight serpentine barrens in Baltimore Co.  Last week they were AWOL but it was a terrific field experience for folks wanting to nail the … Continue reading →

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Butterfly Almanac and Forecast for Week of 2022 May 21

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Rick

New or Notable This Week: Giant Swallowtail, Common Sootywing, Hobomok Skipper, Great Spangled Fritillary, Summer Azure (new brood), Northern Crescent, Appalachian Azure, Least Skipper, Viceroy, Painted Lady The icebox of two weeks ago will become a pizza oven this weekend, with … Continue reading →

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Butterfly Almanac and Forecast for Week of 2022 May 7

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Rick

New or Notable This Week: Peck’s Skipper, Sachem, Zabulon Skipper, Northern Cloudywing, Early Hairstreak, European Peacock, Southern Dogface I didn’t exactly rush to print with this Forecast, since we’re socked in with rain and cool weather all weekend. In fact, … Continue reading →

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Climate Change is also Changing the Size of Butterflies

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Rick

We’re starting to see butterflies on the wing now that the weather is warming up, and all the Facebook pages and listserv conversations are filling up with photos (of varying quality) of butterflies on dandelions, butterflies on bluebells, butterflies on … Continue reading →

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Mysterious Disappearance of the Little Yellow

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Rick

I am a fan of historical accounts of biodiversity, and of butterflies in particular of course. So while awaiting yet another snowy icy burst of winter I turned my attention to the 1932 Bulletin of the Smithsonian Institution, Bulletin 157, … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, conservation, general butterfly news, maryland, sightings | 7 Comments

Climate change, not habitat loss or herbicides, the major cause of Monarch declines in the Midwest and East

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Rick

Local (to us at LepLog!) researchers Leslie Ries and Naresh Neupane at Georgetown University are part of an international collaboration led by Michigan State University to understand the reasons for population fluctuations in Monarch butterflies east of the Rockies, particularly … Continue reading →

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What can butterflies and moths teach us about conserving nature on a warming planet?

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Rick

View this interesting presentation by Callum Macgregor from the University of Hull as he discusses what we know and suspect about the impact of climate change on butterflies and moths. Callum’s talk was part of the Thomas C Emmel seminar … Continue reading →

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Long-tailed Blue Invades the UK

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Rick

Thought readers might be interested in the press release issued yesterday by the UK’s Butterfly Conservation charity organization. Climate change is causing a striking butterfly from southern Europe to appear in record-breaking numbers across the south of England, wildlife charity … Continue reading →

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