Tis the season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tis the season !!!!!!!!

Most folks think that butterfly season only runs from the last day of school until Labor Day. Frass! This is Butterfly Season. From mid-August until the end of September is the best time for butterflies in Bucks County. Everything is on the wing and in good numbers.

The best place to see a lot of butterflies right now is in farm fields. If you find a few acres planted with corn then you are in business. Usually the cornfields are separated by clover fields and it is the red clover that drives butterflies crazy at this time of year. They become butterfly buffets. So as part of your mental health program set some time aside to visit one of these locations.

On a sunny day there should be a good amount of wings over the meadows. If there is not just wait a minute and adjust your eyes. Gaze at the field but don’t look for what is suppose to be there, look for what is not suppose to be there. The clover fields will be dotted with various flowers of different colors, so trying to spot a sulphur on a yellow flower will be hard for the beginner. Rather than focusing too hard, watch for sudden movements and wing flaps. Even when resting butterflies will still flap their wings occasionally to keep them exercised. If you see a butterfly hovering on a flower and the wings never seem to stop flapping, then you probably got yourself a Spicebush or Tiger swallowtail. They are jumpy and never really seem to relax. For other butterflies, scan the blooms and watch for dark triangles hanging onto the flowers. They are the other butterflies that are busy nectaring. They will stay there for a while and then hop to the next flower. If you can afford the time walk through the field and you will most likely be amazed. With every other step butterflies will begin to spring up before you. I think you will be quite surprised how many are actually there but you had over looked.

A walk through the fields should produce good numbers of various Sulphurs and Whites along with Monarchs, Viceroys, Black, Spicebush and Tiger swallowtails. Keep an eye open for the absolutely beautiful Pipevine. When the sun hits their back wings just right their beautiful blue halo will rival any rainforest Morpho. There is a good number of Fritillaries out there right now so watch for the most obvious Great Spangled as well as Aphrodite and Variegated. Red Admirals and Painted Ladies will dot the landscape but most folks over look the metalmarks, hairstreaks, and blues. Perhaps the most over looked group are the Skippers. Usually brown and drab, they are usually thought to just be moths. Sure they may not as grandiose as the larger butterflies but they are just as interesting. It is probably because of this that the blues and skippers species are usually the most threatened. They are hard to notice so they go unnoticed. If you ever have the opportunity to see an Eastern Tailed blue at close range please do so. You will see that like the other they are a work of art. Actually the are masterpieces of color and design with tiny little tails.


Now is it necessary to know the names of what you are seeing in the fields. No not really.
Just walking through the fields and enjoying the sunshine and beautiful butterflies is its own reward. It will not only help you appreciate the natural world around you but appreciate being alive. That in it’s self will make you a nice person if you are not already.

If you want to identify what you have been seeing please visit;
http://www.butterflywebsite.com/gallery/index.cfm#swa
for a full gallery of what butterflies are out there.

Butterfly Rick

Big Butterfly Release!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fly Like A Butterfly! ~ ~ ~ Or come as close as you can!

I am very excited to announce that on Sunday July 15, 2007 we will be having a huge butterfly release at Shady Brook Farm 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA 19067. The Release will be part of Shady Brook’s annual Butterfly Festival and is sponsored by the wonderful folks at New Hope Academy. If you have never experienced a Monarch butterfly release this is the one you should see. At 3pm the attendees (That’s You) will release 150 magnificent Monarch Butterflies.
The sound of their wings as they flap around your head is quite impressive.
As the ancient legend goes, if you whisper a wish to a butterfly and then set it free, the butterfly will take your wish to Heaven where it will be granted!
Pretty Cool huh?

From 2 until 3 I will be explaining lot’s of stuff like the legend and helping you learn how to care for butterflies. They are great to raise with the kids or grand children. So I’ll show you how to do it with a lot of the household junk that’s only cluttering up your kitchen drawers. At worst, you may have to take a trip to the Dollar Store for some ‘Scientific Equipment’. And I guarantee that if you don’t break out laughing at least once, You’ll get your Admission fee back.


Admission is FREE and there will be tons of activities for the kids, and it won’t kill you at the gas pumps. So, bring a kid, bring a camera, and bring your sense of humor. To find out more please visit the good people at Shady Brook Farm at http://www.shadybrookfarm.com


I'll see you Sunday at Shady Brook Farm
Rick Mikula

Butterfly & Caterpillar ID Service

If you are in the Bucks County area and have a picture of butterfly that you have found and cannot seem to identify send a picture of it to Butterflyrick@hotmail.com and that gang at butterflywebsite.com will try to identify it for your. Caterpillars pix are welcomed too. Who know you may set a county, state or country record with your find! So send them in and we will see what we can do in id-ing them for you.
Butterfly Rick

MEET RICK MIKULA

MEET RICK MIKULA ~July 14th 3-4pm ~

I will be at the Tinicum Arts Festival July 14th from 3-4 pm in the Discovery tent. The Festival is great with plenty of art wrok and fantasic music, but if you are stopping by I would love to meet with you and autograph any books that you may have. So if you are looking for a really enjoyable place to be on July 14 stop on by and have a great time.
Butterfly Rick

Center Bucks Seniors Get Their Wings

Center Bucks Seniors Get Their Wings


Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to the Bucks County Association for Retired & Senior Citizens. It was great to find a bunch of fun loving folks and we had a ball.
The Central Bucks Senior Center is a lovely hall to hold a program and everyone brought along their sense of humor which equals a very enjoyable afternoon. It was good to find so many people concerned about the welfare of butterflies. So not only did we cover the fun facts, myths and delightful stories about butterflies but we also covered making gardens more butterfly friendly. Everyone was also shown how to care for and nurture butterflies by using simple household items. They were then encouraged to release their newly emerged butterflies into their gardens to help increase local populations.

We had a lot of fun during the program but speaking to everyone one on one afterwards was just as delightful as the program. I have to give out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Barbara Case for giving me a huge hand crafted, hand painted wooden butterfly. It is 2 feet by 2 feet and quite impressive. I think it took a good five minutes after I returned home before it was proudly hung inside my butterfly flight house. Now after the day is done and I sit back inside the flight house I can watch my butterflies glissade around Barbara’s beautiful Blue butterfly. Thanks again Barbara!

Hey if you’re in Central Bucks and looking for interesting things during the day check out the Bucks County Association for Retired & Senior Citizens. They offer classes in Art, Yoga, Ceramics and Dance Exercise. The also have Poker, Digital camera, Internet, and Bowling clubs. And when you are all finished you can relax with Tai Chi, Line Dancing or Pinochle. Located at 700 Shady Retreat Road you can contact them at
215-348-0565 or cbsenior@verizon.com Tell them Butterfly Rick sent you.

Butterfly Rick Mikula

Butterfly Plants for Bucks County

Bucks County is rich with butterflies. Unfortunately the biggest problem facing all butterflies is the destruction of their habitats. It's not only in Mexico and the Brazilian Rainforest but it is also right here in Bucks County. The more meadows we dig up and the more shopping centers and strip malls we plant the less butterflies we will have. So it is important to include some butterfly friendly plants into your landscape design. I have included lists with the best choices for your area along with their blooming periods.
You don't want every thing to come into bloom at the same time. You need to offer a butterfly buffet for the entire season which in B.C. runs from April until November with the high point being between May and Columbus Day.

SUGGESTED BUTTERFLY PLANTINGS

PERENNIALS
Asters - late summer to fall
Bee Balm -Bergamot - summer through fall
Butterfly bush (buddleia) - mid-summer to fall
Butterfly weed - summer through fall
Coreopsis - all summer
Hollyhock - summer
Lavender - summer
Lupine - late spring to early summer
Mints- all summer
Passionflower – summer to fall
Phlox - all summer
Purple coneflower - late summer into fall
Salvia - summer into fall
Shasta daisy - summer
Thistles - late spring through fall
Violet – spring
White or Red clover - summer
Yarrow (- mid to late summer


ANNUALS
Alyssum - summer to mid-fall
Candy Tuft - spring to summer
Common Stock –spring to summer
Cornflower- summer
Cosmos - late summer to fall
Dianthus -spring to fall
Heliotrope (perennial in South) - late spring to summer
Impatiens -- summer through fall
Lobelia - summer into fall
Marigold - summer into fall
Mexican sunflower
Nasturtium - late summer
Parsley - green from spring to fall
Sage – summer to fall
Salvia - summer through fall
Scabiosa - summer through fall
Sweet William - summer into fall
Verbena - spring to fall
Zinnia - mid-summer to fall



BIENNIALS VINES
Black-eyed-Susan – summer to fall Wisteria
Red Clover - summer Trumpet Vine
Queen Anne's lace - late spring through fall Cardinal Climber
Sweet William - spring through early summer Dutchman Pipe



CONTAINER PLANTS FOR FULL SUN

Container Gardening extends the formal garden onto the deck and surrounding pool areas. Not only do they add very useful splashes of color where needed, but serve an important purpose for butterflies.


Center Middle Edge
Heliotrope Verbena Alyssum
Aster Snap dragon Vinca vine
Hibiscus Marigold Straw flower
Lantana Zinnia Portulaca
Pentas Nicotiana Gypsophila
Globe Thistle Dahlia Pincushion
Foxglove Stonecrop Violet
Lavender Thrift Pansy



HERBS FOR BUTTERFLIES

Herbs are as popular now as ever but unfortunately butterflies love them as much as we do. So added extra to you garden or containerize them for easier hand maintenance


HERB HOST PLANT TO:
Anise Black swallowtail
Basil Good Nectar source
Bee Balm Good Nectar source
Borage and Burdock Painted Lady
Parsley Black Swallowtail Also Caraway, Dill, Fennel, Lavender, Yarrow
Clover Sulphurs and Whites
Dock Coppers
Wild Ginger Pipevine
Hop Vine Tortoise Shell, Red Admiral
Hyssop (water) Good Nectar source
Marjoram Sootywings
Mallow Painted lady, Hairstreak, Skippers
Mints Gray Hairstreak
Mustards Orange Tips, Marblewings
Nasturtium Cabbage White, Spring Azure
Nettle Question Mark, Comma, Red Admiral
Pennyroyal Repels Deer Ticks
Plantain Variegated Fritillary, Checkerspots, Buckeye,
Rue Black Swallowtail
Sage Good Nectar source
Sassafras Spicebush Swallowtail
Thyme
Vervain Checkerspot
Violet Fritillaries




DEER RESISTANT - BUTTERFLY PLANTS

Ageratum
Anise Hyssop
Asclepias-Butterfly Weed -host plant for Monarch
Black-eyed Susan
Bleeding Hearts -host plant for Diana
Buddleia Davidii-Butterfly Bush
Columbine -host for Columbine Duskywing
Coreopsis
Cosmos
Delphinium
Foxglove
Ferns & Ornamental Grasses provide hiding places
Globe Thistle
Goldenrod
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Mexican Mint Marigold (Tagetes)
Mint
Monarda-Bee Balm - Great for Swallowtails and humming birds
Montauk Daisy
Oregano
Purple Cone Flower
Phlox -Moss Pinks
Sage - Garden, Meadow, and Russian Sage
Tansy- Dried leaves are great for detering ants
Verbena
Yarrow - host plant for Black swallowtails
Zinnia

TOP TEN BUDDLEIA
Buddleia or ' Butterfly bush' is probably the single best flower for B-flies

#1- Pink Delight - Pink
#2- Royal Red - Red
#3- Charming Summer- Pink
#4- Petit Plum - Pink
#5- Nanho Blue - Dull lavender
#6- White Profusion - White
#7- Black Knight - Dark purple
#8- Lochinich - Light pink
#9- Empire Blue - Lavender blue
#10- Opera – Pink

Alternatives to Buddleia Eupatorium maculatum (Joe Pye Weed) or E. fistolosum
and Caryopteris x clandonensis, commonly called Blue Mist Shrub.
Shade Plants for Butterflies

Partial Shade
Ageratum
Asters -May not get quite as large as their sunny cousins,
Catchfly
Columbine
Dill and Parsley are both good host for Black swallowtails
Dutchman's breeches
Foxglove
Daylilies
Dianthus- Some varieties do very well in the shade.
Globe Amaranth- gives a lot of color and nectar to the garden
Goldenrod
Impatiens
Lobelia
Marigolds - can do great with very little sun
Milkweeds Red-Swamp milkweed A. incarnata, Butterfly weed A. tuberosa
Monarda
Moonbeam Coreopsis
Nicotiana
Periwinkle
Pink turtlehead
Purple Coneflower
Rudbeckia
Salvia - Lady in Red
Shasta Daisy - Seems to do ok in partial shade.
Sweet Alyssum
Thyme
Violets

Full Shade
Bleeding heart
Shooting star
Ferns
Hosta
Plantain lily
Cardinal flower
Meadow rue

The Big Butterfly Is Landing Near You

If anyone would like to learn more than you ever wanted to learn about butterflies please join me at one of my programs in the Bucks County Area.
They are fun for the entire family and loaded with laughs and easy to do projects.

Upcoming dates

June 21st @ 1pm

Bucks County Seniors
700 Shady Retreat Rd, Doylestown
215348-0565

July 14th @ 3pm

Tinicum Arts Festival
Tinicum Park, Rt32 Erwinna

Just the Artwork and Music makes the day worth the trip. But you may as well leave laughing form the butterfly program.

On Going
To see on going ‘Live Butterfly’ exhibits near Bucks County you have two choices, Philly or Camden. The Academy of Science on the Ben Franklin Parkway has a new permanent display and so does the Children’s Garden at the NJ Aquarium. The Children’s Garden is only $5 and parking is cheap. At the Academy parking is very pricey and you have to pay to get into the Academy and then again to get into the butterfly display. But if you visit the Academy you can always piggy-back it with a visit to the King Tut exhibit.

For an eye opening All Insect exhibit stop by The Insectarium on Frankford St. in Philly. It is as cool as all get out but may give some of you nightmares.

Butterfly Rick Mikula

Catching Caterpillars

The Butterfly Buzz

Hey what could be better than writing about my two favorite things Bucks county and Butterflies. You should be seeing a lot of monarchs this year. Last year was a good ones for the big “M’s” and this one should be just as plentiful. You have to keep a sharp eye out for them right now because they all seem to have a definite purpose and are darting around quite quickly.

Here’s something to try with your family. The next time that you actually have time to sit down for a while watch the butterflies whether it is at lunch time or in your garden, is in its self is a reward. But watch the butterflies. If you see one just landing on the leaves of plants as opposed to stopping on the flowers you may have female looking for a place to lay her eggs. Okay so I do, It does, what’s the deal?

Ah! You have encountered an opportunity to learn wisely Grasshopper.
Actually you have to key to stop and smell one of the elusive roses of life.

As you observe the butterfly as it rest on the leaf watch if it curls its stomach
to the underside of the leaf. If it does go to the exact spot once the B-fly leaves. Here you will find her egg and the fun begins.

Now this is going to sound like the most bizarre thing you ever tried but try it. Take the leaf from the plants with the egg intact and place it into some thing protective until you get it home. Once you are at home place the leaf into a ‘deli’ container. At this point simple poke a few holes in the lid of the container for ventilation. If you really get into it place a piece of netting, bridal veil tooling, or even a coffee filter over the opening of the ‘Deli” container. Next, cut a larger hole in the lid and place it over the netting or filter to hold it in place.

Every day place a new leaf into the container and remove the older leaf.
BUT not the leaf with the egg on it. We just want to make sure that in the few days that the caterpillar will take to hatch that it will have a fresh leaf to eat. Most caterpillars are only caterpillars for two weeks.

At the end of it caterpillar stage it will them crawl to the center of the lid and become a chrysalis. Here it will rest for about two more weeks before your butterfly emerges. Never keep your egg, caterpillar or adult butterfly in direct sunlight.

Now that you are the proud parent of a butterfly you choices are two. You can take your butterfly outside an as the Papago Indians always said, If you whisper a wish to it and set it free it will take your wish to heaven where it would be granted. Or you can keep it for a few days in an upside down “Dollar Store” laundry hamper. To fed your new baby place a flatten out cotton ball into a jar lid and saturate it with Gatorade. The butterfly will land on the cotton ball, taste the Gatorade with it’s feet, YES IT’S FEET, uncurl it’s proboscis and begin to eat.

If you would like to photograph your butterfly before you release it. Catch it from inside the hamper with a cupped-hand and plop it into a paper bag. Then place the bag inside your refrigerator for about 5 minutes. Remove the butterfly from the bag and place it wherever you desire to take the picture.
Once your butterfly begins to warm up it will lay its wing open flat. This will give you an opportunity to take some picture. It will then it will begin to move its wings up and down and offer you the chance to catch the wings at a variety of angles for a very natural photo. In a very few minutes it will soon take wing and fly off.

Sit back and feel proud of yourself because your butterfly will stay close to home and make more butterflies in your neighborhood. Then next time you see a similar butterfly in your garden it just may be your grandchild.

Speaking of which there is nothing like sharing this experience with your children or grandchildren. If you do they will eventually share it with theirs.

So give it a whack, it is an experience you will remember forever.

Butterfly Rick Mikula

Bucks County ~ Naturally

To the Parents and Teachers of Bucks County
I would like to express an undying “Thank You” for what you do!

I am Rick Mikula and I have been lecturing about butterflies for the past 25 years. In that time I have traveled to many wonderful places and met some very astounding people. But the high point of every one of those years is when I get to revisit the elementary schools of Bucks County. That is why I need to personally thank the Parents and Teachers of B.C.

I visit many schools around the country and the elementary students in B.C. are always so bright, so polite, so eager to learn, I could just go on. Where does that come from? It starts with ‘You’ the parents who send their children to school ready to tackle the day and eager to learn. It continues with some of the most devoted teachers and administrators I have ever met. Parents your children are in great hands at school. Trust me I know. I have been to a LOT OF SCHOOLS yours are great and the atmosphere inside is so positive that I never want presentations to end. An hour program seems like a minute in a Bucks County school. There are other schools that just half way through a program I quietly think to myself “If I am ever going to get a heart attack, Can it please be now? But not in B.C. There I think “Does this have to end?”

So let me personally thank the Teachers of Pine Run, Groveland, Barkley, Kutz, Butler, Mill Creek, Buckingham, Jamison, Bridle Path, and Montgomery Elementary Schools for what a fantastic job they are doing with their students.