Aaron’s skipper nectaring on vetch during the Cumberland County NABA Count on 6-20-12.
Two NABA counts were conducted successfully this week (despite the less-than-ideal heat index): Belleplain and Cumberland.
Congratulations to organizers Teresa Knipper and Pat Sutton and to all participants, including the several intrepid butterflyers who completed both counts, back-to-back.
We have two other NABA counts in South Jersey still to come. The last will be the Cape May Count on Tuesday, July 24.
But first, next up, next week, is the northernmost of South Jersey’s four NABA counts, the Galloway Count organized by Jamie Cromartie.
This count’s center is near the Stockton College campus and the area covered extends eastward to Port Republic, Leeds Point, Motts Creek, and much of the auto-tour (and the uplands) at Forsythe NWR; northward it extends to the Mullica River up to Lower Bank and all of Egg Harbor City; west of the count center it includes areas around the A.C. Airport, all of the Atlantic Cape Community College campus, and a long section of the Atlantic County Bike Trail. The habitats to be explored are very varied, and several of South Jersey’s most sought-after species, including pipevine swallowtail, Edward’s hairstreak, and rare skipper (a regular) have been found in past years.
The count begins at the Arts & Sciences Circle on College Drive, Stockton Campus, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 30. The rain date is Sunday, July 1.
Come join us! You can contact organizer Jamie Cromartie at JamieDOTCromartieATStocktonDOTedu
The general how-to info from Pat Sutton (at the post below) still applies, of course. Here it is again, in shortened form:
THE WAY THE COUNTS WORK
(1) All are WELCOME! Share this with a friend.
(2) WHAT TO BRING: binoculars and a butterfly field guide (if you own one), lots of liquids & snacks, bug spray, sunscreen, visor/hat, long-sleeve shirt (since mosquitoes, biting flies, biting gnats, and ticks can all be problematic in South Jersey), wear sensible clothes for tromping through wildflower meadows, & consider wearing cheap “tube socks” that you’ll toss at day’s end.
(3) A $ 3 NABA fee will be collected from each participant. If you would like a copy of the 2012 NABA Count Report, including 500+ counts done all over the USA, Canada, & some in Mexico (due out spring 2013), bring an additional $7 if you are a NABA member ($11 for nonmembers).
(4) If you know folks with butterfly-friendly gardens in one of the count circles, why not call them now and get permission to cover their garden the day of the count . . . or maybe they’d like to cover it for the count? “GARDEN WATCHER (GW)” are very welcome to participate in these counts. If you’re new to the count and not sure if your garden or another butterfly-friendly garden you know is in one of the count circles, contact the respective compiler NOW to find out.
We hope to see some of you there!
In the meantime, enjoy those cooler low-90s/high-80s temperatures we have been promised, and keep exploring!
Some inspiration here:
Cynthia Allen scored an amazing combination in her garden in Cape May Courthouse on 6-21-12, finding and photo’ing both oak hairstreak and rare skipper on the same day! (The skipper is a new species for our log in 2012. One individual was also found on the Belleplain NABA Count.)