Today, it’s my great pleasure to introduce my very good friend and wildlife lover, Dennis Burnette. Some of you may remember I mentioned having reconnected with Dennis recently, after more than 60 years. (We were friends in high school, waaay back then). In addition to just the pleasure of hearing from him, it was great fun to find out he loves wildlife as much as I do, and has spent many years photographing and documenting all sorts of things about the birds and other creatures we share the world with. Naturally, I immediately asked Dennis to share some of his knowledge with us here on The Write Stuff, and he agreed. I know you guys will make him feel welcome, and will enjoy his visits, so let’s get started! Dennis, the floor is yours. Take it away, my friend!
NOTE: Somehow, I managed to forget to give Dennis credit for all photos in this post! I had a little blurb written up to go with that info, too, but I can’t find it now. So, for any of you who are wondering, all of today’s photos were taken by, and belong to, Dennis Burnette. Thanks for respecting that! 😀
Marcia asked me to write a few words about my experiences with wildlife. I’m honored; thanks, Marcia. I’ll try to do you proud.
Butterflies for the Rest of Us Part 1
I titled this first entry “Butterflies for the Rest of Us” because there are artistic and creative people who love the colors and patterns of what some folks call “flying flowers,” and there are people who make a career of serious scientific studies of butterflies. I know from experience that there are many of us who enjoy learning about wildlife as part of our overall love of nature. I think of these folks as “the rest of us.”
It’s odd how the mind works. I just wrote the sentence, “I’m active in a butterfly group.” That raised an image in my mind of me standing around at a cocktail party interacting with a bunch of butterflies. That led to me wondering if an actual group of butterflies (as opposed to a fantasy group at a cocktail party) is called anything in particular, like a flock or even a herd.
That led me to the Internet where I found an answer to that question. It may be AN answer, but I’m not convinced that it is THE answer. On a website I’ve never visited before called BeingHuman.org I found the following: “A group of butterflies is a kaleidoscope. They’re also known as a swarm, flutter, flight, rabble, or a wing of butterflies.”
I have been interested in butterflies as an amateur naturalist for at least 25 years. (I’ve never collected butterflies, although I love to photograph them.) In all that time I have heard only one collective term for a bunch of butterflies, and it wasn’t kaleidoscope or any other term on the above list.
That’s because butterflies generally don’t form up into groups like a flock of birds or a herd of bison. Sometimes butterflies will be drawn to a patch of damp soil such as on a dirt road. Experts on butterfly behavior say that they are seeking minerals that they can’t get in flower nectar.
Often it’s just one butterfly, but occasionally other butterflies find the same damp spot. I have seen more than a dozen individuals of different species congregating on the same patch of damp soil. Butterfly watchers call these conglomerations “puddle parties.” A butterfly engaged in that behavior is said to be “puddling.”
At any rate, I’m active in a butterfly group. We don’t collect them or otherwise harm them. We enjoy watching them, and some of us like photographing them. I also do programs on butterflies for nature societies, garden clubs, and other nature oriented groups.
Consequently, I hear a lot of questions, often the same ones repeatedly. I don’t claim to be an expert. Biology isn’t my academic discipline, but I’ve learned a thing or two about butterflies so I feel okay about answering the most common questions.
There are specialists who study butterflies scientifically (called lepidopterists). Then there are the rest of us who are curious about these insects but aren’t inclined to make a career in science to study them. Here are some interesting tidbits about butterflies for the rest of us:
Butterflies and moths are closely related, and they share some physical features and behaviors in common. Like many other insects, both go through a series of bodily changes called metamorphosis. Let’s take a look at the process via the monarch butterfly.
The female lays eggs, which contain larvae (caterpillars) that emerge
when they’ve grown enough.
The caterpillar’s main job is to eat and grow.
When they get as big as they’re going to get, they find a safe place to avoid predators where they go through another dramatic change by becoming
a pupa (cocoon for moths or chrysalis for butterflies).
The cells in the body go through yet another dramatic change by rearranging to become the creature with wings that emerges as an adult butterfly or moth,
in this case, a beautiful adult male monarch butterfly.
What’s the difference between butterflies and moths?
I’m going to use the phrase “tend to” a lot because when we talk about the differences, the majority of butterflies and moths may share common characteristics but almost always there are exceptions. For instance, butterflies usually fly during the daylight hours whereas moths mostly fly at night. However, there are exceptions.
Butterflies tend to be sleek whereas moths tend to be plump and fuzzy. Moth flight tends to be floppy and erratic, whereas butterfly flight tends to be direct and seemingly purposeful. Butterflies tend to be colorful and/or distinctly marked, while moths tend to be muted in shades of gray, tan, and brown.
Again, there are exceptions with some moths being large and dramatically marked. Both moths and butterflies have antennae, which are sensory organs, but moth antennae tend to have a feathery look while butterflies usually have slender wire-like antennae with a bump or “knob” at the tip.
In Part 2 I’ll answer more burning questions about butterflies. Do you have any such questions? Feel free to ask them in the comments.
Dennis Burnette
Dennis Burnette is a retired college professor currently volunteering as a nature educator, focusing on birds, butterflies, and native plants. He does numerous presentations and field trips for nature organizations, master gardeners, garden clubs, church groups, scouts, etc. He is active in and has held elected office in several nature organizations. He has looked for native plants and other wildlife in 11 countries. Recently he received North Carolina’s Order of the Longleaf Pine in recognition of volunteer service to the state.
Some Additional Interesting Info About Dennis
*Past president of local Audubon Society chapter and currently on
the local Audubon board.
*Past board member of the statewide NC Native Plant Society.
*Past president of the Piedmont Bird Club.
*Past vice president of Carolina Bird Club.
*Founded the Carolina Butterfly Society in North and South Carolina
about 25 years ago; CBS now has about 200 members
in the Carolinas and surrounding states.
*Former member of the Guilford County Open Space Program Committee.
Dennis’s wife Lynn is a birder, butterflier and great travel companion.
Dennis and Lynn Burnette
HOPE YOU’VE ENJOYED THIS INTRO TO BUTTERFLIES.
BE SURE TO STOP BY ON JUNE 28 WHEN
DENNIS WILL BE BACK WITH
LOTS MORE GOOD STUFF!
SEE YOU THEN!
Author Tony Riches
Enjoying a cruise on the Cape Fear River
The Write Stuff 