Enjoying Butterflies
Butterflies, alighting on one flower and then
the next, have long fascinated and delighted humans with their gorgeous
colors. One story has it that their English name originated in
Britain, where people likened the yellow brimstone in early spring to butterflying.
The astounding transformation of butterflies from earthbound caterpillars
to winged adults has repeatedly captured people's imagination. But it
was not until the last few hundred years that people even suspected there
was a connection between the two. Early naturalists thought that
butterflies and caterpillars were separate kinds of creatures.
A wonderful feature of butterflies is that you can easily attract them to
your backyard. All you need to do is provide plants on which the
caterpillars can feed and flowers from which the adults can sip nectar.
This will not only attract the butterflies for you own enjoyment but also
help them flourish. Thus, butterflies are something you can help to
conserve through the actions you take right in your own backyard.
With growing environmental awareness, people now realize that butterflies
need to be conserved. Many species are endangered and others are less
plentiful than they used to be even a few decades ago. Butterflies,
like plants and other animals, are important to the survival of all living
things. To a limited extent they pollinate flowers. They also
play a part in the food web; the larvae eat leaves and in turn are eaten by
many birds, amphibians, and reptiles. In addition, it would be a great
sorrow to lose creatures that are so beautiful.
Because of this, there are many conservation organizations monitoring and
trying to protect butterfly populations. There is even a Fourth of
July Count, much like the Christmas Count for birds, in which butterfly
species and numbers are tallied each year in designated areas. These
counts help determine which butterfly populations are scarce or declining.
A common pastime for many decades has been collecting butterflies,
killing them, and mounting them in boxes. Collections are still very
important to scientific studies of butterfly species, populations, and
behavior. But for the general public, it is far better to enjoy
butterflies in their living state. This is especially true at this
time, when interest in butterflies is growing so fast.
We watch butterflies at flowers, where they are still and can be
approached as they feed; we observe their behavior as they go about their
daily activities; we use binoculars to watch the shier species from a
distance, just as we would with birds; and sometimes we use a net to catch a
butterfly, then identify it and release it.
Many people also love to draw or photograph butterflies. This is a
wonderful way to enjoy their beauty and keep a record of what you see.
I hope my site will encourage those of you who love butterflies to help
conserve them through the knowledge that you gain. I like to think
that butterflies and the plants and habitats on which they depend will
someday be a part of everyone's backyard.
info@butterfliesonthebeach.com
