Butterflies Count - And So Did We!

One of our Monarch Committee's projects includes is to participate in the North American Butterfly Association's (NABA) Annual "4th of July" Butterfly Count. 

 

On June 2, Mickey, Linda, Beverly, Nancy and I met at our Freedom Butterfly Garden to hold our first count.  An article on the count appears in the July 2015 Creekline; click here for a PDF version of the submittal.

What the article did not include was a detailed accounting of the species and numbers we saw in the garden and around the river, the historic farmhouse and the Ruth Bennett Garden. 

·        Giant Swallowtail:  4

·        Palamedes Swallowtail:  1

·        Spicebush Swallowtail:  1

·        Black Swallowtail:  1

·        Tiger Swallowtail:  2

·        Gulf Fritillary:  4

·        Zebra Longwing:  3

·        Phaeon Crescent:  1

Although we did not see any skippers or hairstreaks that day, these butterflies are frequent visitors to our garden, and possibly throughout the park.  Beverly told us about the Spanish Needle growing in the Freedom Garden and its importance as a nectar source over those many months when pollinators have very few blooms available.  We discussed the garden's role as a butterfly sanctuary, and as a result of her talk, I highlighted the Spanish needle in the Butterflies Count Creekline article (thanks for the editorial suggestions, Beverly).

Our team was not "charged" with counting other pollinators, larvae, or birds, but we saw some grand examples of the wildlife that can be enjoyed if we give it the space to survive. 

Nancy contributed to the effort to give our native species a chance by pulling up some invasive coral ardesia.  See the article, "GardenerBeware:  Those Charming Invasives" submitted to the St Augustine Record for publication.

We plan to expand our "counting party" next year.  Hopefully, we'll have enough participants to also survey the Julington-Durbin Preserve, which is also in our NABA Bartram Trail Butterfly Circle.  If you are interested in joining us, send us an email; use this contact info (also shown in the right column of the home page). 

For more information about the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), go to their website www.naba.org  - the links below describe the 4th of July Count and the mission of the NABA:

·        About the NABA 

·        Butterfly Count Resources

·        Frequently Asked Butterfly Count Questions 

·        US/Mexico Map of Butterfly Count Circles  

·        How to Start a New Butterfly Count  

The sources for our butterfly identifications included, "Butterflies through Binoculars,"   available for loan at the Jacksonville public library, "shadowing" trips to GTMNERR to learn about their butterflymonitoring program, and discussions with Janet Koehler, who kindly provided resources from the University of Florida that they used to start their program.  

See our other articles published in our local newspapers.

IN MEMORY OF CAROLYN C KELLIHAN

Our long-time and most dear garden club member, Carolyn Kellihan, passed away peacefully on June 18, 2015. Carolyn's serene presence was always at our meetings, and she was the very first member to renew for 2016.  Although she was quiet, you always knew that she was attentive to everything, and always gracious.

Carolyn taught elementary school for many years and retained an interest in education after her retirement.  She was an active member of her church and a true lover of animals and wildlife in general.    Our garden club was blessed to count her among us.  And the long and lasting friendships she made will always be with us.

Plans for a Celebration of Life are not complete.  Carolyn is survived by a daughter and family - Kathy, Mark, Kelly, and Travis Jones - with whom she lived.   There are several nieces and family members living in the state.

We all will miss Carolyn but take comfort in the fact that she is now free from all cares and pain.

Our May Luncheon Closes out the Season

We celebrated the close of our season with our annual pot luck buffet at Sarah Bailey's NeedMore Ranch.  The weather was idyllic and the food excellent! 

Many thanks to our members who renewed and newbies who joined the club.  Your prompt dues payment makes the membership process SO MUCH EASIER now that the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC) has put the member roster online!  We had a drawing for an appreciation gift to those who got their dues in that day.  Carolyn won the gift of a bluebird themed shopping bag, tea towels, journal, and accessory boxes.  Very appropriately won because she was the first member to submit her dues.  Enjoy, Carolyn!

May is our last meeting until September, when our 2015-16 season begins.  In the meantime, our Monarch Committee is sponsoring our first Bartram Trail Circle NABA Butterfly Count on 6/2 at Alpine Groves Park.  Over the summer you can find us tending to the Freedom Butterfly Garden and enjoying the wildlife it supports.  Consider stopping by to see the butterflies and other pollinators enjoying a sanctuary garden just for them!  If you take a photo, or have a question, please send it along to switzerlandgc@gmail.com  With your permission, we'll feature your picture (with you as the photographer) on this website.   You can also subscribe to our site.  Then you'll get the latest updates on what our local gardeners and our wildlife in the area are up to!
 

The first meeting is at the Bartram Trail Library from 10-noon on September 10 (2nd Thursday of the calendar around July to see what we have lined up.  And, of course you can email switzerlandgc@gmail.com for more details.
month).  We traditionally do not have a guest speaker for the first meeting, but you never know.  Our Executive Committee is gathering in early June to decide the schedule of events, speakers, and activities, so stay tuned!

Happy Summer!

A Bloomin' Busy April

April just flew by with a bloomin' bouquet of activities and awards.  Our boondoggle meeting at Alpine Groves was crowned with perfect weather for business and pleasure.  Our nominating committee requested the club vote for officers for the next two years, and we accepted their recommendations, voting Claire Fioriti president, Linda Mosier vice-president, Mickey Fraser secretary, and Dianne Battle treasurer.  In preparation for the Bartram Bash, Mickey brought in some grape vine cuttings and Beverly (pictured here) and Dianne busied themselves trimming lengths of it and making wreaths for our birds-nest soup wreath making activity.  "Lucky Claire" won the bluebird windchime that was raffled off; after winning the orchid in February and the wind chime in April, Claire has also become the "Lucky" member of the garden club.  Better luck next year, Louise!

Our garden was already humming with the wings of pollinators, including this weathered monarch, sunning itself (perhaps laying eggs) on a milkweed.  The condition of its wings suggested it has over-wintered here (the season being milder-than-average) or had encountered some disturbance (probably human, given that monarch's "poisonous" nature keeps it off the wildlife menu).  
 

While Dianne was taking these photos, she had the opportunity to talk with a mother and son about the monarchs and the gulf fritillary's special affection for the passionflower vine that was leafing out.                                                                                                



                                   











Our plans for the Bartram Birthday Bash and District IV Member meeting were well met in fact.  We did ourselves proud at the Happy Birthday Bash for William Bartram and were very proud of Beverly Fleming for winning the Fellow Man and Earth Woman 2015 award from the Stetson Kennedy Foundation.  Our officers attended the District IV meeting in Callahan and received on behalf of the club the FFGC Newsletter/Magazine/Publication award and the FFGC Digital Photography Award - Butterflies for Dianne Battle's photos of butterflies in her garden and in the club's Freedom Butterfly Garden; see April Awards for Our Garden Club. 

FFGC has been on top of several environmental issues, including the Florida Water and Land Legacy Amendment, which passed last November.  It has issued two Position Statements:  Ban Hydraulic Fracturing in Florida and Reduce Marine Plastic Pollution.  They are summarized on our Taking a Position for the Environment posting in the Resources section, and can be accessed by clicking on the document links here and in the right-column News on the home page, www.switzerlandgc.org.

Our next meeting on May 14 will be the members' Spring Potluck at Sarah Bailey's Needmore Ranch.  We'll share not only the news and happenings with you, but some of our garden club members' recipes that'll make you want to become a member.  And why not join us?  Membership drive begins on 5/18 and is only $20.  Contact SwitzerlandGC@gmail.com for more information, or see our Let's Stay in Touch Link.