Wing Time

Wing Time Earl Plato

My homemade movie at Marcy's Abino Woods many years ago showed naturalist, Ernie Giles, pursuing butterflies with his large homemade net. Yes, Ernie is a butterfly collector. He's always looking for perfect specimens. On my wall encased in glass are two fine specimens of the Silver-spangled Fritillary. I am thankful for the gift from my friend. However, I am not a collector of butterflies. Ernie is a natural scientist and has collected butterfly specimens over the years for examination. Sorry Ernie, I just can't appreciate catching butterflies and ending their lives. I agree with nature photographer, Phil Schappert, who says, "The current trend towards watching and photographing butterflies instead of capturing them and ki lling them is long overdue. ...a good mix might include careful netting of a specimen for close examination, then releasing it unharmed." If we learn just to enjoy watching butterflies, then there will always be more of them for us, our children and grandchildren. I have been on some great butterfly hunts with Ernie Giles at Marcy Woods, Short Hills Provincial Park and many other areas. However, local naturalist, Tim Seburn, had inspired me years ago to look for butterflies every year. Tim, I believe, is not a collector but a strongly interested observer. It was he who took me to the area where I first saw the Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies at Marcy Woods. With him I also saw there the Tiger Swallowtails that feed on the wild cherry leaves. These are two beautiful butterflies. There are many, many more species if you arrive at certain times of the year. From our Fort Erie Centennial library I took out the Peterson field guide, Eastern Butterflies and the Audubon Handbook for Butterfly Watchers. I am serious again this year as I turn the pages and read the accounts. I want to see new species in our Niagara Peninsula How about you?

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Thanks to Teresa Forte, Niagara’s garden expert, I had cut back my butterfly bushes about six inches each spring. I now have two beautiful bushes in full bloom. Sulphurs and Whites are showing up and yesterday a Red Admiral appeared. Today Monarchs and two beautiful Tiger swallowtail landed on the bushes! More will be coming to feed on the lavender-coloured blossoms, I am sure.