January
Winter Potluck Party including a white elephant gift exchange. Lots of fun and a chance to “re-gift!” Details later.
February6
“Elusive Butterflies of Washington, Part 2” by Bob Hardwick
Last September Bob presented the WBA program on Elusive Butterflies of Washington. It was so interesting and there were so many questions that he only got half way through his presentation. By popular request, Bob will be back to finish his program. Bob will give identification tips on the species and identify their habitats.
March 5
“Identification and Biology of the Immature Stages of Greater Fritillaries”
Dr. David James, from the WSU Dept. of Entomology, will take us through the fascinating development of greater fritillaries. 1hls complex process had for many years been a mystery to scientists. He will present images of eggs, larvae, and pupae of Washington’s Speyeria spp. and also information on rearing and their defensive secretions. Much of this information will also be included in the book which he and Dave Nunnallee are co-authoring.
April2
“Creating and Maintaining a Successful Butterfly Garden” by David Droppers
Want to create a habitat for many of the declining urban and suburban butterflies? Want to help offset the destruction of our remaining habitat? Learn some of the tricks to gardening for butterflies in a region that is not quite like any other in the U.S. Have your garden shimmering with Azures in the spring, graced by Swallowtails in the summer, and dancing with Skippers in the fall. Presentation will focus on west of the Cascades but will address the east as well.
May 3
Prairie Appreciation Days in Littlerock from 10am to 4pm Day at Thurston County’s Glacial Heritage Preserve. WBA will have a table at this event.
May 6
“Creating and Maintaining a Successful Butterfly Garden” by David Droppers Want to create a habitat for many of the declining urban and suburban butterflies? Want to help offset the destruction of our remaining habitat? Learn some of the tricks to gardening for butterflies in a region that is not quite like any other in the U.S. Have your garden shimmering with Azures in the spring, graced by Swallowtails in the summer, and dancing with Skippers in the fall. Presentation will focus on west of the Cascades but will address the east as well. May 10 Health and Green Living Fair 10am to 3pm at Trinity Lutheran Church at 6215 196th St SW, Lynnwood WBA will have a table at this event.
June 4
“Exciting New Ventures in the World of Butterflies” by Jonathan Pelham. Our own Science Advisor and now Vice President of the national Lepidopterist Society, Jon Pelham, has been working on a variety of exciting national projects. He is the author of the recent publication The Catalog of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada and will describe how the catalog is created and functions. He will also present the exciting new national butterfly website which should be up and running by this meeting. This will become one of the most complete butterfly websites in the world.
August 6
“Share the Wealth”
Always an entertaining, fun and educational program. Bring your photos to share with us for education, entertainment or species identification. Everyone works together to make this fun. Bring photos in digital, slide or printed form. This informal meeting gives members a chance to get to know each other better. All levels of photography encouraged and appreciated.
September 3
“Butterflies of the Peruvian Amazonia”
Bob Hardwick will share with us photographs and adventures of his recent three week stay in the Peruvian Amazonia. There are over 3,366 butterfly species identified, and probably many more yet undiscovered, in the Peruvian part of Amazonia. This area is particularly biodiverse, holding thousands of species of flora and fauna which are not found anywhere else in the world. Bob always presents interesting and educational programs.
October 1
“Rearing Lep-Kids: getting kids interested in Butterflies”
This programs will be put on by kids who have grown up in WBA and butterfly study along with Martha Robinson. The kids call themselves: INSTARS (Incredibly Nutty Students Training to Assist Research Scientists). They will share what got them interested in butterflying, describe special butterflying memories, metamorphosis parties, success-guaranteed day trips, research assistance and ideas for parents and teachers to make butterflies and nature fascinating and fun for kids. Make all teachers, parents and WBA members aware of this incredible program!
November 5
‘Butterflies of Sulawesi’
Rayna Holtz, part of WBA’s Vashon contingent, will present this breathtaking program. Because this one of the world’s most biodiverse areas she will also add photos of other unusual animals such as birds, sea turtles, tarsiers, macaques, anoa, babirusa, frogs, etc. that are endemic. She will also present opportunities to get involved in research in Sulawesi. (Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands.) Bring your friends and neighbors!
December 3
“Learning about Pacific Northwest Moths”
John Davis, a retired wildlife biologist from Stevenson, will use his excellent photos to illustrate local moths and the variety of size and beauty of this little known but very large group of leps. He will also give tips on techniques for attracting and photographing moths. John is a highly respected student and photographer of Northwest moths. (Some of you met John at our Dayton WBA state conference.) You can see his work ahead of time by googling: “Northwest moths John Davis”.