Butterfly Time

Nature Article by Earl Plato
It was still butterfly time. George Sherk and I saw on September 13th a good 100 Monarchs flitting about in Marcy’s Lower fields. That night I found the old homemade movie made at Marcy's Woods. It 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.
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 killing them is long overdue. ...a good mix might include careful netting of a specimen for close examination, then releasing it unharmed."
This is what the late John McDonald of Niagara Falls did so skilfully. He truly loved butterflies.
Some of my grandchildren who saw my butterfly movie questioned me if I netted butterflies and of giving them the "death squeeze." I thought about such actions and feel that if we learn to enjoy watching butterflies, then there will always be more of them for us, our children and grandchildren. Net but don’t kill.
I have been on some great butterfly hunts with Ernie Giles at Abino Woods, Short Hills Provincial Park and many other areas. However, a local naturalist, Tim Seburn, had reinspired me to look for butterflies in the past. 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 Abino 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. Marcy’s Woods must be preserved! From our Centennial library I took out the Peterson field guide, Eastern Butterflies and the Audubon Handbook for Butterfly Watchers. I am serious this year as I turn the pages and read the accounts. I want to see new species in our Niagara Peninsula yet this fall and come spring, 2000. How about you?