Postscript to My Butterfly Big Year Talk, and a Contest for Members

On April Fool’s Day, I presented a talk for WBA entitled “How to Do a Butterfly Big Year?” The question-mark was important, not because it’s a butterfly’s name, but as an indication that I was learning as I went, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend my methods to anyone else! In the course of my presentation I revealed that my total number of species (still being finally and finely examined by my certification committee, headed by Jon Pelham) did not quite come up to my goal of 500 of the 800 available species in North America north of Mexico, though it wasn’t too far off. I also gave a number of other interesting statistics from the year’s journey (at least to me), and recounted the adverse weather that dogged many of my days, and other challenging factors.

However, though the audience was kindly tolerant of an inexcusably long account, I finally had to quit before breakfast. And in doing so, I neglected to share several points and stats I had intended to give. For example, I mentioned some of the most exciting finds, like the Diana fritillary, Baltimore checkerspot, and Avalon hairstreak, as well as a number of near- misses (several roadside skippers, rained-out eastern spring azure and mustard white, one day late for Eversmann’s parnassian in Alaska, and so on). I talked about some of my coulda’s, shoulda’s, and woulda’s, and the Ones That Got Away. But I completely forgot to tell just how many of my finds represented uncommonly good luck–the real grace notes of the expedition. These figures will explain what I mean. I averaged 10.1 species per day, with a high of 80 species in one day. But I spent 86 days without seeing a single butterfly! The number of species I saw on just one day each was right around 140. And the number of actual singletons–species for which I saw but a single individual during the entire year–was about 70! So that gives you an idea that, while I faced many challenges of weather, flight period, vast mileage, and other exigencies, I also experienced a remarkable number of close calls in my favor. Of course, I will spell all this out in much more detail in the narrative of the book, Swallowtail Seasons: The First Butterfly Big Year. I am nearing completion of the draft as you read this, and it should be published by Houghton Mifflin in the spring of 2010, if all goes well.

Now, the contest: I had also intended to give my audience an accounting of the top species of the year, in terms of numbers of days each was sighted. Since I neglected to do so, this gives an opportunity for you to guess! So, here’s the deal: come up with your best estimate of my Top Ten Species, and bring it to the summer gathering in Yakima (or send it to the organizers — do not e-mail it to me!). During my evening talk (which is not about the Big Year, but on butterfly conservation), I will reveal my Top Ten Species. The entries will be tabulated, and prizes will be given for anyone who gets the # 1 species, and for the best three matches for the Top Ten overall.

The challenge: Of some 3,877 total species/day encounters, averaging 10 species per day and 7.6 days per species, what were the 10 butterflies that you think I found most often? Not measured by the numbers of individuals, but by the number of days each was seen. List them in order–got it? Good luck! Thea and I look forward to seeing you in Yakima.

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