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The Austin Butterfly Forum meets at the Zilker Botanical Garden Center at 7:00 pm on the 4th Monday of every month except for December. Meetings are free and open to the public. (The building will be open even if there is a “Closed” sign on the door. Please come on in.)
Each meeting features an educational program, but we like to socialize a bit beforehand. Sometimes members will bring caterpillars or collections for display, and sometimes we have special opportunities such as plant giveaways. The meetings are also a good place to hear special announcements and learn about new events.
Here is a calendar of Austin Butterfly Forum events and other events that may be of interest to members. For a more complete listing of events outside Austin, visit Mike Quinn's page of Texas entomological events.
Mon Jan 25, 2010 George Winkler: “Assassin Bug Problems”. The first part of the program will deal with George’s experience with being bitten twice by African Assassin bugs. According to George, this can potentially result in death! The second part of the program will cover Assassin Bugs and their relationship to Chaga’s disease, a tropical disease that is spreading into the southern United States.
George is a Forum member. He has a BA degree in Zoology from the University of Missouri and an MS degree from St. Louis University with research in Entomology (Insect Physiology). He taught various biology courses in both high school and college and worked as the St. Louis Zoo's Entomologist for a little over six years before retiring. George collected insects for over 40 years and donated a collection to the zoo of over 1000 different species. Zilker Botanical Garden Center, 7:00pm.
Mon Feb 22: Phyllis Dolich, “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder - attitudes about landscaping that are detrimental to our butterflies (and other wildlife)” Zilker Botanical Garden Center, 7:00pm.
Recently my husband and I fought and won a battle with our Homeowner's Association to preserve the plants growing in a protected “native area” to the rear of our backyard. This area was deeded over to us in 2000 when we bought the lot and built a new house. A nine-year conflict started with one complaining neighbor who could not tolerate the native grasses and wildflowers that grew under the canopy of live oak, cedar elm and bur oaks. We had hoped to keep this area natural – even got it designated as a Best of Texas Backyard Wildlife Habitat - but our community compliance director enforced a ruling which required us to mow everything down 3 times a year.
To conserve the late season grasses and wildflowers that I had learned were so crucial to butterflies and other wildlife, we submitted a request through a committee which issues permission to add to (or change) one's landscaping. Although successful, it was later rescinded as a “mistake” and threats of fines were issued.
Finally, an appeal to the Board of Directors last year met with success, but not before a required “maintenance plan” be submitted by us, and approved by the full board. Club members will enjoy the images and emphasis on preserving native plants for the sake of our local butterflies and other wildlife in this document, which we would gladly share with anyone facing a similar situation.
I have been a resident of Sun City Texas in Georgetown for ten years. I have served as president of the Sun City Texas Nature Club in Georgetown and as president of the Williamson County chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.
My passion is to study and document native plants, gardens, ponds, and wildlife. I have arranged my images in various formats for the purpose of education and fund raising.
I have learned to combine gardening and a concern for nature using a variety of native plants to attract, shelter and feed our wildlife. My yard was certified as a “Best of Texas Backyard Wildlife Habitat” and, as a trained Steward, I helped others plan their landscaping to benefit local wildlife.
Phyllis says: I have enjoyed being a public speaker to educate the public about conservation and native plant usage. I was honored to be asked to be a presenter at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center February 2006 Spring Symposium. My garden was featured in the Wildflower Center’s Native Plants magazine and on PBS’ Central Texas Gardening.
March 22: Pat Richardson, Soil Organisms Soil mesofauna — macroscopic invertebrates such as nematodes and arthropods play an essential role in cycling nutrients and dispersing bacteria and fungi in soil and plants. Join Dr. Patricia Richardson for a discussion of nature's incredible biological complexity beneath our feet. Learn how to manage toward that biodiversity and perhaps even create land that will inspire a rainbow! 7 PM Zilker Botanical Center.
The presentation will include video footage of colorful, charismatic mesofauna in action. You don’t want to miss this amazing presentation!
Sat and Sun, Mar 27-28 - Zilker Garden Festival, Zilker Botanical Garden.
Mon, April 26 - Club Meeting: “Photographing Butterflies” by Dan Hardy and other club members. Photographing butterflies is a favorite activity of our members. Amazing results can be had with relatively cheap cameras, or you can be as sophisticated as you want. Camera stores do not always understand what we need, so we will give you practical advice. Dan and several club members will offer you the benefit of their years of trial-and-error, showing you the cameras they recommend, what tricks they use, and how to improve. Come and enjoy this meeting on Monday, April 26 at 7 pm at the Zilker Botanical Garden. Zilker Botanical Garden Center, 7:00pm.
Sat May 1, 2010 - Workshop: How To Know and Grow Austin Butterflies. Learning to identify common butterflies of our area is only one aspect of the Austin Butterfly Forum’s Fourtth Annual Butterfly Workshop, held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Zilker Botanical Garden Center. Topics will cover hostplants, how raise caterpillars and watch metamorphosis at home, strategies for caterpillar survival, as well as books and resources about this rapidly growing hobby. The workshop will also include a light lunch and a hands-on walk to identify butterflies at Zilker’s Doug Bachly Butterfly Trail. Participants will be given plants to take home to begin attracting butterflies to their own gardens.
To register, please call Jeff Taylor at 255-0368 or kscjtaylor@prodigy.net. The cost is $35.00.Zilker Botanical Garden Center, 7:00pm.
May 24: Beetles of Texas. Mike Quinn, an entomologist and the club's president, will share his enthusiasm about the beetles of Central and South Texas. He will discuss beetle families, collection techniques, and his past and current studies on beetles. 7 pm Zilker Botanical Center.
Sat June 26 - Annual 4th of July Butterfly Count. Meet in the Zilker Botanical Garden parking lot at 8:00 am. If it is pouring rain we will postpone till the next day. For more information contact Dan Hardy, dhh787@yahoo.com. Everyone is welcome, including all skill levels. We count butterfly adults and caterpillars within a 15 mile diameter circle centered at Mount Bonnell. In addition to the Botanical Garden, we visit many of the best butterfly spots around town, including the Barton Creek Greenbelt and St. Edward's Park in NW Austin. We usually work as a single group.
This is the butterfly equivalent of the Christmas Bird counts. The results are submitted to NABA (North American Butterfly Association). In 2007 we had a record number of species (63) and observers (25) for Austin. See http://www.austinbutterflies.org/counts for reports from prior years.
Be prepared for walking through brush and wet areas. Wear long pants, hat, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Bring water, snacks, close focusing binoculars, and (optional) butterfly nets. The count typically lasts until late afternoon, although you may leave at any time. We have lunch at Triumph Cafe on 3808 Spicewood Springs.
June 28 Club Meeting - “Butterflies as Botanists”, Dan Hardy. 7 pm Zilker Botanical Center. Most caterpillars are picky-eaters, accepting only a few species or families of plants. Monarchs and milkweeds; Pipevine Swallowtails and Dutchman’s pipe; and Black Swallowtails and the carrot family are well-known examples.
The adults have to be skilled “botanists” in order to find a suitable plant on which to lay eggs, since placing the egg on the proper plant is the first and last act of parental care. Caterpillars born on the wrong plant will die. From the plant’s perspective the caterpillar is as destructive as any herbivore and they erect defenses, such manufacturing chemical repellants. The caterpillar has to be a sort of “chemist” in order to handle these toxins and even turn them to its advantage.
Using examples mostly from around Austin and a few from the tropics, the talk will cover caterpillar specialists and generalists, leaf-eaters and flower-eaters, uses of plant toxins, coordination of life cycles with food, the distribution of plants and caterpillars, and the role of the food plant in evolution.
July 26: Meeting, Chronicling the Lives of Starr County Butterflies, Berry Nall.
Starr County, in the upper part of the Rio Grande Valley, has a very diverse lepidoptera population. Approximately 200 species of butterflies have been recorded in the county. Berry Nall is attempting to document the life histories of as many of these butterflies as possible. He particularly enjoys working with very small species that are difficult to locate and raise. Join us as he relates some of his adventures and shares some of the methods he has learned while chronicling the lives of butterflies.
Berry Nall resides in Starr County, Texas, where he pastors a small church and teaches high school science. He is a butterfly enthusiast who enjoys raising as well as photographing butterflies. He is currently working with Dr. David Wagner to gather life history information on south Texas moths.
Many of his photos and life histories may be found on his website, http://leps.thenalls.net.
August 23 Meeting: Crickets and Kin: the Orthopterans by Val Bugh. 7 pm Zilker Botanical Garden.
Best known for their song and dance (think “Jiminy Cricket”), the real-life counterparts of the cartoon are actually fascinating creatures. The katydids and crickets are true singing insects and, along with the related grasshoppers, are distinguished by an ability to jump. Sharing a common ancestor with walkingsticks, mantises, earwigs, cockroaches and termites, the orthopterans display a wide variety of dietary adaptations, courting and territorial displays, camouflage and coloration, and, in some cases, parental dedication to their young. This program will explore the many facets of this group of insects through photos, and will cover basic identification, emphasizing our central Texas fauna.
Val Bugh is a club member and local naturalist. She recently authored and provided photos for the Butteflies of Central Texas, which is available at local bookstores and at the Zilker Botanical Garden shop.
Sept 27: “Endangered American Burying Beetle in Texas”, Kendra Bauer, University of Texas at Austin.
The American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, (ABB) is an endangered beetle whose range has decreased dramatically since the 1930’s. Much of the life history of this beetle is unknown, including an accurate population size, specific habitat requirements, and reasons for its decline. Without knowing these life history traits it makes it difficult if not impossible to manage this species. Current research using genetic techniques to estimate population size and migration has been very helpful in determining where this beetle is and where it is moving. We can also use historic maps and museum samples to uncover some of the past habitat of the beetle. We will then look at some of the current threats to the beetle and what we can do to conserve this amazing little insect!
Kendra Bauer is a 6th year Ecology Evolution and Behavior doctoral candidate in the Section of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her passion for animals began at a young age and she became serious about conservation after her undergraduate degree in Biology and Animal Science at The University of Kentucky in Lexington. She then worked at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (AZA accredited Animal Park, Glen Rose, Texas) for 3 ½ years getting her feet wet in the captive animal side of conservation and quickly realized she needed a PhD to accomplish her conservation goals. She began her graduate career in 2004 working on the endangered Baird’s Tapir in Central America and is finishing her PhD working on an endangered American Burying Beetle (ABB). She is using genetics and non-invasive techniques to identify migration routes, breeding populations and status of the ABB. The techniques she is using with this endangered beetle are invaluable and wide reaching tools that can be replicated on any species, including the tapir to aid in conservation.
Oct 23: Butterfly Field Trip, starting at Zilker Botanical Garden parking lot, 9 am. Details to be announced.
Oct 25: Club Meeting, Jeffrey Glassberg, Ph.D, will talk about on The Best Places to Find Butterflies in the United States and Mexico. Note: Admission of $5 will be charged for non members.
Jeff is the author of Butterflies through Binoculars, The East; Butterflies Through Binoculars, The West, A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America. He is the President and founder of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), www.naba.org, whose mission is to increase public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies. His books will be for sale at the meeting.
Zilker Botanical Garden, 7 pm.
October 28-31: North American Butterfly Association 9th Biennial Meeting, Mission, Texas. There will be guided field trips and talks. See details at http://www.naba.org/meeting.html
Nov 22: Club Meeting, Member's Show and Tell. Members can present photos from trips or tell stories about the year's most memorable butterflies.
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