January: No membership meeting.
There will be a Winter Party with date and place to be announced later.
February 1: “Understanding Optic Choices“
Russell Steele, nature shop manager at the Seattle Audubon Nature Center, will bring a variety of binoculars to illustrate his presentation of what to look for in your purchase of optics, especially close focus. What is perfect for one person may not work for another. Bring your own binoculars to compare with others.
March 1:
Please watch our website for information about our March meeting.
April 5:
“Pura Vida: Bushwacking in the Bosques of Central America”
Ian Young and Mary Maxwell Young are back with another of their fascinating programs with professional quality photos. This time it will be on their trip to Central America where they not only took some great butterfly photos but also lots of other creatures like monkeys, spiders, moths, frogs, birds, turtles, caimon, crocodiles and plants! (For non-Spanish speakers…Bosques are forests.)
May 3
“Confused?? Join the Club!”
Still struggling with telling the Commas apart? Blues? Hairstreaks? Skippers? Frits? etc? Jon Pelham will review identification tips on telling some of our most confusing but common species apart. This will be an excellent review as we head out for a new season of butterflying. Jon is becoming an expert with Powerpoint and has put together an excellent program. Come with your questions.
June 7
“Thermo regulation of moths: How they can fly at night and winter when butterflies can’t?”
Tom Boucher will review some of our more common moths and then help us understand the process of thermoregulation in moths which allow them to fly at night and at temperatures down to near freezing. Their temperature regulation is very different from butterflies.
July
No membership meeting – conference July 14-16.
August 2
“Share the Wealth”
Last year’s Share the Wealth was the best ever! Much learning and a lot of laughter! Bring your butterfly, moth, and dragonfly photos for show and/or identification and don’t miss this one…it’s always informal, informative and fun! You don’t need to contribute to the program to have fun and learn.
September 6
Watch our web page for an announcement of the program for this month.
October 4
“Caterpillars in a Changing World: Relationships Between Parasitism, Human Actions, and Future Caterpillar Populations” Speaker: Moria Robinson As humans continue to affect the globe through climate change and chemical use, we are only now beginning to discover a few of the manifold ways in which lepidoptera will be affected. This presentation will explore interconnections between caterpillar defense, parasitism, and global warming using data from several research stations in the Americas. Research conducted by an Earthwatch Institute team this past summer will be explored, representing intriguing steps to document caterpillar biodiversity and parasitism here in the United States. Excellent photos will illustrate the content of this program.
November 1
“The Name Game” Speaker: Jon Pelham, WBA Science Advisor How do butterflies get their names? Jon will take us through the process of the naming, re-naming, and sometimes re-re-naming of butterflies. (It is a lot more complex than just trying to frustrate butterfliers!) Jon’s programs are always filled with solid scientific information along with his wonderful sense of humor.
December 6
“Challenges of Rare Species Recovery” Speaker: Mary Linder Mary Linder of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will share with us some of her intriguing work with the Taylor’s Checkerspot from the Fort Lewis prairies and the Mardon Skipper from the Scatter Creek prairies south of Olympia. This is another program leading WBA to greater involvement with projects that can make a difference.