The Rhode Island Butterfly Survey is part of a larger effort,
coordinated by North American Butterfly Association , to survey butterflies in North America. In early
July, volunteers across the continent conduct a one-day census of all
the butterflies observed within a selected 15-mile diameter count
circles. Audubon coordinates this effort in Rhode Island, which has
been growing every year.
"Once again, we exceeded last year's
total number of species and individuals," says Eugenia Marks, Audubon's Policy Director. "Last
year we had 2898 butterflies and 50 species, this year we counted 3521
butterflies and 51 species. We found that we did better on the East Bay
count than last year, and worse on the West Bay count, probably due to
weather. We were in the middle of a dry spell on July 12, and it seems
like that might have kept the numbers down. But overall we had a lot of
interesting sightings."
 One notable find was the rare Hickory
Hairstreak , a species of concern on the state natural heritage list. It
was spotted at Audubon's Touisset Wildlife Refuge in Warren by Walter
Bosse of Cumberland, RI, Wendy Miller of Boylston, MA, and Dolores
Price of North Grafton, MA. A rare Zabulon Skipper was found and
photographed in Newport by father-and-son team Charles and Hugo
Avenengo of Newport, RI. This was a significant find, as the Zabulon
Skipper has never before been recorded east of Narragansett Bay.
Another rare butterfly, the Variegated Fritillary , was reported at
Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge in Charlestown by Erin King and
Suzanne Paton of the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Ten Mulberry
Wings , another state species of concern, were found at Newman Wildlife
Refuge by Michael Kieron of Riverside, RI; Marcia Peña of Warwick, RI;
Jim Van Cleve of Cranston, RI, and Eugenia
Marks, of Providence, RI.
The Butterfly Count is open to anyone
with an interest in butterflies, and Audubon Society provides butterfly
identification workshops for beginners in the early summer. Harry
Pavulaan, an expert in Rhode Island butterflies who assists with
identifications on the Count, is enthusiastic about the effort.
"In
the old days, butterfly study was the domain of collectors and
scientists," says Pavulaan. "But today, anyone who has an interest in
observing butterflies can enjoy and contribute to our knowledge. With
the advent of the internet and digital cameras, identifying butterflies
and announcing new finds can be accomplished very quickly."
To register an interest in next year's count, contact July Lewis .
More information, the results of previous year's counts, and links to resources click on Butterflying with Audubon .
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