January

Winter Party… around 25 or so WA butterfliers delightedly gathered at the welcoming home of Ann and Ed Lipkin. We realized at the last minute that the address had been incorrect on the evite, so a quick email went out to everyone. Given the large number of attendees, we hope that no one was lost in the area as a result of this. At first we simply enjoyed each other’s company, shared conversation and visited with friends that many of us had not seen in a while. Some people came from quite a distance away. Then more and more of us began peeking at the delicious spread of food that everyone brought to share, including chocolate carrots. The feast began. And then there was dessert! The entertainment for the evening was the annual White Elephant Gift Exchange. Richard Youel was an amusing master of ceremonies. Everyone received a gift that tickled their fancy in one way or another. Ask Dave Nunnallee how good he is at origami! Richard Lindstrom’s white butterfly shirt resur- faced and was pledged to return next year, possibly becoming an annual gift. Thanks to everyone for your effort in making this such an enjoyable event. And thank you to the Lipkins for sharing their home with us. I think their cat gave a big sigh/meow of relief when we all exited.

2/3 Seattle Meeting with Jon Pelham

Jon Pelham will speak tomorrow night at the Seattle WBA monthly meeting about

“Dispersal and Isolation:  Refugia and the roles they play in speciation”

March 2 – Lauren Buckley, “Colias Butterflies and Historical sleuthing to forecast butterfly responses to climate change“

Lauren will provide an overview of research repeating historic lab and field experiments and examining museum specimens to investigate the ecological and evolutionary responses of montane Colias butterflies in Colorado to 50 years of climate change. She will lead a broad discussion on the fate of butterflies in changing environments.

April 6 – Bill Yake, “Mongolia’s Butterflies“

Bill Yake and Jeannette Barreca spent 3 weeks in Mongolia in July 2015. They will share their photos with us of people, animals, and butterflies.

September 7, Seattle, and Sept. 21, Spokane: Share the Wealth. Always an entertaining, fun and educational pro- gram. Bring your photos to share with us for education, entertainment or identification. Everyone works together to make this fun. Bring photos in digital, slide or printed form to be identified or just shared. This informal meeting gives members a chance to get to know each other better. All levels of photography and butterflying are encouraged and appreciated.

September 12, 6:30-7:30pm UW Botanic Gardens presents Taylor’s Checkerspot: An Endangered Butterfly With an Interesting Diet.

Taylor’s checkerspot is an endangered butterfly that occurs only in prairies of the Pacific Northwest. Several agencies and nonprofits are involved in recovery efforts, which include habitat restoration and a captive rearing and release program. There are several gaps in our knowledge of Taylor’s checkerspot that make recovery efforts difficult; we know especially little about how its caterpillars interact with the various host plants they eat. One of these hosts is a common native paintbrush, another is the federally-threatened golden paintbrush, and the third is an invasive exotic weed!

UW PhD student Nate Haan will share photographs and natural history of Taylor’s checkerspot and its host plants, and give an overview of his research projects and findings so far.

October 5, Seattle: David Droppers on Day-flying Moths of Washington.

October 19, Spokane: TBA

11/2 Seattle WBA Meeting – ‘Coloring Outside the Lines’ remote webcast by John Baumann.

November 16, Spokane: Bob Hardwick’s “Lesser Fritillaries and Crescents of Washington” video

December 7, Seattle: Patrick Tobin, -“The Impact of Invasive Insects on Butterflies“