Flutterbys

That large black butterfly you have been seeing everywhere may actually be one or more of four common eastern species. The black swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes, the spicebush swallowtail, Papilio trolius, some female eastern tiger swallowtails, Papilio glaucus, and the pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor are all somewhat similar in color and pattern.

Of course, those with trained butterfly eyes can quickly differentiate between species, but I am forever fumbling with my field guide. ”Now let’s see, which one has two rows of orange spots and which one has one row?” But even with the fumbling it’s still a treat to watch these graceful creatures and get to know them a little better.

The butterfly world was once the domain of professionally trained lepidopterists and a few hard-core hobbyists. That has recently changed. I believe the precursor to this change was the improvement in the field of optics. Today’s binoculars are clearer, easier to focus and able to focus at extremely close range. I have a relatively inexpensive pair of 10x42 Bushnell that will focus at six feet or so. This is a very important feature when observing butterflies, some of which have a wingspan of less than half an inch.

On the heels of these improvements in optics, Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg created the first of his Butterflies through Binoculars series in 1993. This guide formatted like popular birding field guides and dedicated to butterflies of the Northeast, seemed to jump start the hobby of butterfly watching.

It was just the reaction Glassberg, a molecular biologist, lawyer and president of the North American Butterfly Association, was hoping for. He hopes the spark of interest in learning about butterflies will lend itself to conservation efforts.

In his newer Butterflies through Binoculars: The East, Glassberg lists 27 species of butterflies that have declined across their range over the past 25 years.

I know that bird guide author Kenn Kaufman has also produced a photographic guide to viewing butterflies through binoculars. There may be others.

To get the hang of butterfly watching, just like bird watching, you have to get your binoculars and your field guide and get out there. However, with butterflies you may not have to get as far “out there.” Your backyard, the vacant lot next to your office, the soccer field and/or the local greenway can all be quite productive when it comes to finding butterflies.

And just like birding, the more time you spend with your field guide learning anatomy and the technical terms used in descriptions the better you will become at distinguishing between species.

Take for example the four species mentioned at the beginning of this column. In the description of the black swallowtail the guide states, “...Below, the yellow orange HW cell spot or the FW subapical yellow spot distinguish this species from all others.” Huh?

Well, if you study your guide you will learn that “below” is the underside of the wing. When butterflies are perched they hold their wings folded above them – you are looking at the underside, or “below.”

“HW” is hindwing and “FW” is forewing. Butterflies have two pairs of wings. The leading pair – ones closest to the head – are the forewings. The trailing pair are the hindwings. When the creature is perched, the forewings are on top, the hindwings below.

A cell is an area on the wing surrounded on all sides by veins and a spot by any other name is still a spot. “Subapical” refers to the region of the wing just before the edge.

To translate – when you see a black butterfly perched and it has a yellow-orange spot in the cell in the center of the hindwing and a yellow spot near the edge of the forewing, then it is a black swallowtail. Of course there are other clues too.

For example, of the four common, large black butterflies only two species will have a double row of large orange spots on the HW. Those would be the spicebush and the black swallowtail. See how easy that is.

But one of the coolest things about these photographic butterfly guides is you don’t have to read at all if you don’t want to. You can identify and learn many species by simply matching the photo with the bug you’re watching.

To find out more about butterflies and butterfly watchers across the Carolinas, just Google “Carolina leps.” You can lurk on the Carolina leps listserv to find out who is seeing what, where and/or you can join the Carolina Butterfly Society.

(Don Hendershot can be reached a ddihen@earthlink.net.)