Argo went on his first official butterfly count yesterday. This was not actually planned but came about because I forgot to arrange for a neighbor to let him out to pee at noon.
The first stop was a public garden where I was so hoping that the man at the gate would not see Argo in the car. Dogs aren’t allowed there except for special events or unless they are service dogs. Of course, Argo was a service dog in training but had to turn his vest in when he was disqualified from the program because of hip dysplasia. So, I told Argo “Down” and hoped for the best, but as I slowed the car down at the small gate office so I could explain to the smiling gatekeeper that I was there for a butterfly count, Argo popped up like a meerkat to see who his new friend might be—so much for hiding him!
Argo stayed in the car for the short time we were there-windows down and rooftop open in the shade, of course. It was about 70 degrees. It was drizzling off and on most of the morning and Jean and I did not see but eight Spring Azures during the hour we looked. Most were males hanging around puddles on the sidewalk or flying around in the trees.
The three of us moved on to Bison Meadows where there were few flowers blooming and thus, not many butterflies. The “meadow” part of Bison Meadows is diminishing and the mowed lawn part is increasing. Also, one season as we visited there for a count there were people pulling up perennials that were supposed to bloom in the upcoming fall season. When I asked the worker why they were pulling up the plants, he said that the management told him to pull up plants that weren’t blooming right then. So much for “To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn.” I could just hear Judy Collins singing in my head…
On a brighter note, Argo flushed up a Sachem from the ground! We saw an Orange Sulphur there, too.
Onward to Hewitt’s Nursery that had many blooming plants. We saw Cabbage White, Spring Azure, Hackberry Emperor, and Silver-spotted Skipper.
We ate our sandwiches at the Lion’s Club Sensory Garden within Grassland Park where we saw eight species–the highest diversity of the day for a single location. The sun was in and out and the temperatures were 5-10 degrees F. warmer than in the morning when we started the count.
Jean fed Argo three dog treats which he loved. He sort of drank from the fabric water bowl I always carry with me on these dog outings, but he is getting so “old man-y” at the ripe old age of two that he just took a few licks preferring to wait until he got home to his own water bowl to replenish.
Jean had to go, so Argo and I continued on alone. Deerwood Arboretum had three species for about 15 minutes of searching. Mark Bates Nursery did not have any bees or butterflies present which surprised me since there were so many blooming flowers including butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). I stopped at a small wetland where we saw two Cabbage Whites and two Orange Sulphurs.
The most common species for the day were Cabbage Whites and Spring Azures. The areas Jean, Argo, and I visited were only part of the Nashville South Count, so time will tell if numbers were up or down. Of course, the numbers will reflect the number of counters, the weather, and the distance and areas covered. The big question is whether to count Argo as an official counter or not. If so, I will have to pay Nancy, our count compiler, an extra $3.