Butterflies and Drought in South-east Arizona

By Peter Hall, eButterfly advisor A long-term drought has gripped many parts of the western U.S. on and off for years. South-east Arizona has been prone to these dry spells, sometimes with serious effects for vegetation and wildlife. Andrew Hogan, in an earlier posting to eButterfly, showed the results of butterflies of the droughts at […]

Rare Butterflies in Upstate New York

Among the most unique and at-risk habitats in eastern North America are the sand plains of central New York state. The localized, rolling dunes in this area are covered in pitch pines with a low ground cover that has been dominated by sundial lupines. This combination also makes them one of the last strongholds for a number of butterflies that are also at risk.

After Two Decades of Searching a Rare Butterfly is Discovered during the Vermont Butterfly Atlas

A rare and elusive butterfly has been discovered for the first time in Vermont, flying this spring at one of the state’s protected natural areas. Bog Elfin, patterned in brown and rust, and no bigger than a penny, had eluded detection in the state until one flew past a Vermont field biologist who had been searching for it for two decades.

Ten Steps to Better Butterfly Photography (new camera optional)

The butterflies are out and many of us are eager go butterflying with our cameras and bring images home to share. While I don’t fancy myself as an expert photographer, I sure love to photograph butterflies and other insects. I realized over time that many tricks I took for granted to approach butterflies were foreign to many naturalists especially those new to it. After sharing some tips on how to approach butterflies and better photograph them with friends and colleagues and seeing them come back with much improved results and more species than they use to find, I thought this might be helpful to share.

Annual Monitoring Shows Sharp Decline in Monarch Overwintering Colonies in Mexico

The Eastern migratory monarch butterfly is facing a serious threat: new reports reveal a significant population decline and a loss of habitat in the forests where they spend the winter each year. In just one year, the area occupied by monarch butterflies in their wintering habitat dropped 22%, from 7 acres to nearly 5.5 acres. […]