Washington Butterfly Association

We Remember Idie

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Idie Ulsh with Richard Lindstrom on the left and Richard Youel on the right; Schnebley Coulee, 1998. All three (plus the photographer) were among the cofounders of WBA, which grew from this chance meeting. (D. Nunnallee)

Idie Ulsh, president and cofounder of WBA, was found dead of apparent heart failure at her cabin in Kitsap County on June 11. Nephew Victor Ulsh visited her cabin after difficulty in contacting her and increasing concern about her health. As John Baumann stated for all of us, she was a beloved grandmother spirit to nature lovers throughout the state. She made lasting contributions to the many areas of interest in her life, not the least of which are, in her way, to all the creatures and wild places she loved and loved to share with others. She was truly a person who used the gift of life and talents to make a difference in the world. Education was her professional career and her passion. She contributed to it at many levels. She came to many of us as the “Butterfly Lady”, the one who taught her butterfly class or gave her butterfly presentation to our group. Idie was about education joyfully presented.

Idie felt it was important to have a dream and to work at making it come true. WBA was one of her dreams and she worked in her quiet, persistent way to make it happen and to infuse it with her spirit. Those of us who remember the planning for the first WBA meeting remember her emphasis on making sure that the organization always be friendly, positive, personal and good humored.

Idie observed that some cultures regard butterflies as the spirits of those who have gone before us. She would be pleased to think that her memorial will be our remembering her each time we observe a butterfly and thank her for the gift of her life.

  • Richard Youel.

Many years ago, I don’t know just what year, a woman with a memorable name and an unforgettable smile came along on a butterfly course I taught with Thea on Whidbey Island. We didn’t find many butterflies, but we had a good time, and it seemed to me that butterflies really “took” with this woman. How right I was. She came on another course, and another; and it wasn’t very long until she began teaching butterfly field seminars herself.

Idie teaching one of her Butterfly ID courses. (Kim Kendall and Reg Reisenbichler)

Of course, we all know her as the founder of WBA, and the indefatigable spirit behind its growth and survival. But we should also think of her as a great butterfly teach- er and inspirational force. Whether lecturing on butter- flies or bird nests, she was in great demand as a speaker. She took immense pleasure in sharing what she knew with others, in her particularly attractive alto voice. And of course she loved being in the field, among her beloved butterflies and birds, whether near her Tahuya hideaway or in the Cascades or Basin. When we lost Idie Ulsh, we lost one of our most effective ambassadors for butterflies that we have ever known or are likely to know again. In many ways, Idie was the Hazel Wolf of the butterflies; I only wish she could have lived as long as Hazel, and gone on stirring things up and inciting passion for nature for many years to come. In a way, she will, by the very existence of our club. As for me, I’ll never forget Idie’s enthusiasm on that long ago Whidbey trip, and where it led, for her and for so many others.

  • Bob Pyle
Idie was a serious photographer. Her photos appear in The Butterflies of Cascadia, including the front cover photos. (D. Nunnallee)

A Celebration of Idie’s Life will be held in Seattle at the University of Washing- ton’s Center for Urban Horticulture at 2PM on Saturday, August 1st. Remem- brances are encouraged toward Seattle Audubon Society’s BirdWatch program and Washington Butterfly Association scholarship. The August 1 field trip to Bear Creek Mtn. has been cancelled so people may attend the memorial.