they sail boundless and free, speaking the universal language of beauty - K. D'Angelo
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Collin makes friends with a Monarch Caterpillar
4 year old Collin smiles at his Monarch Caterpillar.
Capture the beauty of butterflies in a photograph. Each month we will feature a photo of butterflies as well as caterpillars, chrysalises or eggs. E-mail us your favorite image and be sure to include your name and a description of your photo.
Saving The Monarchs
Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the Shipley Nature Center. This will be an educational morning with hands-on activities for families including puppets, crafts, planting and tours. Learn about the Monarch Life Cycle and what you can do to provide a home for them in your backyard. See the native plants that attract the Monarchs and provide food for the caterpillars. There will be books and items for sale that pertain to Monarchs.
Habitat Gardening for Butterflies & Birds
Join Back to Natives on Sunday, February 17 from 1-4 P.M. at the Nix Nature Center in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park for a Butterfly & Bird Habitat Gardening Workshop. Bact to Natives Director of Restoration, Reginald Durant will give a presentation, describing the locally native host and nectar plants that will attract butterflies and birds to your garden. We will do a planting demo, and participants can pot up some native seeds for free to take home. Reservations suggested, call 949-923-2235. Parking: $3.
The Great ParkThe Orange County Great Park will transform the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into one of America’s largest metropolitan parks
Ecological Backbone Transforming the expanse of the El Toro airbase into a living landscape is fundamental to the vision of the Great Park. Natural waterways will be reestablished and habitats will be restored, bringing back Orange County’s natural heritage. Agua Chinon, once trapped in a concrete pipe, again will be a living stream. Hundreds of acres of wildflower meadows, grasslands, oak woodlands, coastal sage scrub, and varied stream side habitats will support birds, butterflies, and other animals long missing from the site. The Park will not only creates new living space for wildlife, but by connecting existing natural areas, it will enable plant seeds to disperse and animals to travel. This ecological backbone will increase the biodiversity value of adjacent preserves and help ensure a healthy, sustainable, natural environment in the region. Read more about the Great Park here: http://www.orangecountygreatpark.org/index.html
Rare Butterfly Makes Comeback on Los Angeles Area Beaches
The tiny El Segundo Blue has returned to two locations where it has not been seen in decades. Scientists are surprised at the resurgence. Amid surfers and skaters, a tiny blue butterfly has scored a telling victory in its fight against extinction.
To read more about remarkable news story visit www.elsegundo.net/
MIGRATING MONARCHS Monarch butterflies overwinter in California
Each year thousands of vibrant orange and black Monarch Butterflies flock to Pismo Beach, California, seeking shelter from the freezing northern winters. From late October to February, the butterflies cluster in the limbs of a grove of Eucalyptus trees at Pismo State Beach. Find out more at Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove www.monarchbutterfly.org
Visit the Monarch Watch web site to find out how you can help the Monarch Butterfly flourish in your town.
http://www.monarchwatch.org
BOOKSButterflies of the World a Fandex Guide
This colorful guide identifies and describes 50 different worldwide butterfly species, from the enormous Queen Alexandria birdwing with its 11-inch wingspan to the stunning blue morpho butterfly. Each butterfly is fully described, including its Latin name, range, plants used for laying eggs and nectar, migration and mating habits and how to recognize the species in its caterpillar, pupae and adult stages
BUTTERFLY EXHIBITSAn extensive list of butterfly exhibits, gardens or events to visit. Thanks to
Sue's Butterfly Haven at http://www.geocities.com/bttfly9/otherbutterflyplaces.html
GLOWING BUTTERFLIES SHINE
For 30 million years African swallowtail butterflies have dazzled their mates with glowing splashes of color on their wings. And the process they use to control the flow of light in their wings is strikingly similar to a technology that humans only recently developed, physicists report. To read more visit www.NationalGeographiconline.com
N.A.B.A.
The Orange County Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) is dedicated to the preservation of butterflies and their host plants in Orange County. They invite and welcome everyone who may be interested in butterflies or learning more about butterflies and butterfly gardening in Orange County.
Meeting are held on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Irvine Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon, Irvine, CA
Butterfly Conservation Initiative NEWS
The Butterfly Conservation Initiative is dedicated to the conservation of threatened, endangered, and vulnerable North American butterflies and the habitats that sustain them, with a focus on recovery, research, and education. Read about their efforts here: http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/news/
© 2006, Obsession With Butterflies