Category Archives: conservation

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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A Tale of Two (or More) Crescents

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Rick

Oh for the simple days when in the mid-Atlantic region if you saw a crescent you could safely assume it was the common, indeed almost ubiquitous, Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos).  The only doubt to contend with would be if you … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, evolution, general butterfly news, Identification tips, maryland, sightings, state butterflies, taxonomy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in climate change, conservation, European butterflies, evolution, general butterfly news | Tagged | Leave a comment

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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A banner year for Northern Metalmarks

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Rick

We just wrapped up the 2022 NABA annual count for Green Ridge State Forest this past weekend; after a soggy cold front washed out our original date of July 9 we were very happy with a glorious Sunday in the … Continue reading →

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Where do Edwards’ Hairstreaks go when there is no nectar?

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Rick

The recent excellent spate of mid-Atlantic sightings of Edwards’ Hairstreak, Satyrium edwardsii, all come from areas where there is currently no or little nectar. I’ve only seen them nectaring twice in the past decade, both times on a single plant … Continue reading →

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Monarch Populations are Thriving in North America

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Rick

That’s the headline out of a new study published this week in the journal Global Change Biology, upending decades of handwringing and dire predictions about the fate of US Monarch populations. Co-authored by Andy Davis of the University of Georgia, … Continue reading →

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Brown Elfin: A Species in Peril in MD?

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Rick

A number of lycaenids are species of conservation concern in MD and the mid-Atlantic — King’s Hairstreak, Frosted Elfin, Appalachian Azure, Edwards’ Hairstreak, and others. But until relatively recently I would not have counted Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus) among them. … 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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