Hello Fellow Butterfliers,
Saturday is going to be the last count of the year in West TN. We will meet at
the visitors center at the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park at 9:30 AM. The
forecast is for a high in the upper 80's with a 60% chance of rain in the
afternoon. We are expecting a large group of observers and we will be counting
in one party, so with that and the weather situation, I am making some changes
from my initial email about how we will spend the day. Since parking within
the park at several of the places we count is very limited, I plan to go to
Eagle Lake WMA right after we meet up and count there first. I'm afraid we
will swamp the General Store if we all go for lunch, so we will bring our own
lunches (brown-bag style) and take a break around 1:00 for lunch or earlier if
rain moves in. After lunch, many folks typically leave, and if you want to
leave early, it is no problem, you can leave at any time you need. If our
numbers are smaller, then we will return back to Meeman-Shelby and count there,
or if we still have several cars, we will count the vacant lot across from
Forestview Church of Christ. We will eventually end up at Meeman-Shelby and
finish counting there, which would be around 6:00 if the rain doesn't end it
sooner. Of course this is only my plan (as of now) and I will try to keep
everything as flexible as possible so we can all enjoy the day and still
fulfill the job of citizen scientist to give an accurate count comparable to
previous years. Counts are meant to be scientific, educational, and
recreational, and I hope to give a good balance to each.
So what butterflies should we expect to see? Well, the fall count at
Meeman-Shelby has usually been reliable for a few species that aren't seen in
many places in Tennessee. Those include Dainty Sulphur, Phaon Crescent, and
Southern Dogface, and possible very rare species like Bronze Copper and
Reakirt's Blue (both of which were seen at Eagle Lake just a few weeks ago) and
Funereal Duskywing. Common species that will probably be encountered in large
numbers include Cloudless Sulphur, Pearl Crescent, Common Buckeye, Sleepy
Orange, Fiery Skipper, Silver-spotted Skipper, and Common Checkered-Skipper.
Please remember to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and bug spray. There is a
$3.00 fee to NABA. And if you haven't already let me know you are coming,
please do so. I'm looking forward to a great day and meeting lots of new
folks. Should be fun!
Yours,
Bart Jones
Memphis, Shelby Co.
