Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Honeybee on butterfly milkweed on June 30, 2009
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of honeybee on milkweed on June 30, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Report from June 2, 2009, meeting of Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society
`Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society
June 2, 2009, 6pm
Henry Board Room, Fayetteville Public Library
Present: Sara Wittenberg, Joe Neal, Elizabeth and Doug James, Ann Paillet, Stephanie Cribbs, Joanne Patterson, Scott Michaud, Leigh Hunt
Minutes from April meeting were approved
Programs
Past Program numbers:
Field trip to Ninestone: 25
Field trip to Lake Fayetteville: 15
Clean-up at Wilson Springs: 20
Future Programs
Dates have not changed; see notes from previous meeting
David Nolan Photo Contest
The drop-off places include Collier Photography in Fayetteville and Bedford’s Photography in Fayetteville and Bentonville. There will be plans for approximately 100 entries and and entrance fee of $5 per photo. There will be 12 prizes: four categories with a first, second, and third place plus and honorable mention in each category. The deadline for entries is September 25th. Bedford has offered to mount and prepare the winning photos for display at the Shiloh Museum. Sally Jo Gibson will be consulted to help with advertisement and promotion of the contest.
Meetings
It was decided to drop future Bentonville meetings due to poor turnout. It was also decided that it would be beneficial to combine meetings with birding trips in the future.
Publications
Write-ups on field trips will be added to the newsletter as well as a Letter from the President; publication is due in August and will be emailed in its final form to Scott Michaud for the website.
Publicity
The NWAAS website is now out and looking BRILLIANT! There are currently nine web pages with additional ones to follow, including links to a birding list. It was decided to talk to Kimberly Smith about having the old website taken down.
Finances
Currently, NWAAS has approximately 3,800 in our checking account, 125 dollars on our tab at the Post Office,, and $13,000 in cash at Wachovia. We also have a new debit card and $13.53 a month will be deducted from our account to maintain the website. We should be receiving approximately $1620.25 from National Audubon as an annual
amount.
Tax status: It is necessary for organizations in good standing with the Secretary of State to file each year by May 15th to maintain that good standing and this can be done with a electronic postcard, the 990 Form. NWAAS has not filed in two years, so this will be looked into by Scott.
Donations
A $1000 check was written as a donation to the Morningstar rescue shelter after being unanimously approved
Education
Discussion was had on the Audubon Adventures packages, which are teaching tool kits made for the classroom and available for $20 per package; discussion was had on contacting Roy Fuller for email lists to help distribute these to area teachers who have shown interest. Discussion was also had on outreach to Gifted and Talent programs and home school programs in the area.
Book Publication
Joe Neal’s book The Birds of Northwest Arkansas is ready for publication; this will be done by a printer in town for somewhere between $6-8 dollars a copy at a cost of approximately $1600 for 250 copies. The cost is to be covered by NWAAS but should come back to the Society through sales of the book: it was decided that the price of the book should be double the cost of printing it, making the price between $12 and $16 dollars and books can be sold at local spots like Nightbird Books, Society events, and the Society booths at the Farmers Market when that it set up. The motion to cover publication costs was unanimously passed.
Next meeting is slated for August 4th at 6pm at the Henry Board Room
June 2, 2009, 6pm
Henry Board Room, Fayetteville Public Library
Present: Sara Wittenberg, Joe Neal, Elizabeth and Doug James, Ann Paillet, Stephanie Cribbs, Joanne Patterson, Scott Michaud, Leigh Hunt
Minutes from April meeting were approved
Programs
Past Program numbers:
Field trip to Ninestone: 25
Field trip to Lake Fayetteville: 15
Clean-up at Wilson Springs: 20
Future Programs
Dates have not changed; see notes from previous meeting
David Nolan Photo Contest
The drop-off places include Collier Photography in Fayetteville and Bedford’s Photography in Fayetteville and Bentonville. There will be plans for approximately 100 entries and and entrance fee of $5 per photo. There will be 12 prizes: four categories with a first, second, and third place plus and honorable mention in each category. The deadline for entries is September 25th. Bedford has offered to mount and prepare the winning photos for display at the Shiloh Museum. Sally Jo Gibson will be consulted to help with advertisement and promotion of the contest.
Meetings
It was decided to drop future Bentonville meetings due to poor turnout. It was also decided that it would be beneficial to combine meetings with birding trips in the future.
Publications
Write-ups on field trips will be added to the newsletter as well as a Letter from the President; publication is due in August and will be emailed in its final form to Scott Michaud for the website.
Publicity
The NWAAS website is now out and looking BRILLIANT! There are currently nine web pages with additional ones to follow, including links to a birding list. It was decided to talk to Kimberly Smith about having the old website taken down.
Finances
Currently, NWAAS has approximately 3,800 in our checking account, 125 dollars on our tab at the Post Office,, and $13,000 in cash at Wachovia. We also have a new debit card and $13.53 a month will be deducted from our account to maintain the website. We should be receiving approximately $1620.25 from National Audubon as an annual
amount.
Tax status: It is necessary for organizations in good standing with the Secretary of State to file each year by May 15th to maintain that good standing and this can be done with a electronic postcard, the 990 Form. NWAAS has not filed in two years, so this will be looked into by Scott.
Donations
A $1000 check was written as a donation to the Morningstar rescue shelter after being unanimously approved
Education
Discussion was had on the Audubon Adventures packages, which are teaching tool kits made for the classroom and available for $20 per package; discussion was had on contacting Roy Fuller for email lists to help distribute these to area teachers who have shown interest. Discussion was also had on outreach to Gifted and Talent programs and home school programs in the area.
Book Publication
Joe Neal’s book The Birds of Northwest Arkansas is ready for publication; this will be done by a printer in town for somewhere between $6-8 dollars a copy at a cost of approximately $1600 for 250 copies. The cost is to be covered by NWAAS but should come back to the Society through sales of the book: it was decided that the price of the book should be double the cost of printing it, making the price between $12 and $16 dollars and books can be sold at local spots like Nightbird Books, Society events, and the Society booths at the Farmers Market when that it set up. The motion to cover publication costs was unanimously passed.
Next meeting is slated for August 4th at 6pm at the Henry Board Room
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Create a butterfly garden in your backyard
Create a Butterfly Garden!
A water dish, flowers, lots of sunshine and an area with dark moist soil protected from the wind are
all you need to create a butterfly garden! Remember to:
o Check your lawn at various times throughout the day to see which area receives the most sun.
Butterflies, like all insects, need sunny spots to raise their body temperature.
o Avoid using pesticides around these plants. Butterflies are as affected by pesticides as much
as harmful insects.
o Provide the butterflies with a water source. Any type of shallow container will work.
Give fresh water often.
o Be sure to include plants for all life stages. This means nectar plants for adult butterflies
and host plants for caterpillars.
Good Butterfly Nectar Plants and Caterpillar Host Plants
Ageratum, Milkweed, Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Bee-balm, Coneflower, Passion Vine, Mustard, Hibiscus,
Marigold, Salvia, Day Lily, Mallow, Phlox, Zinnia, Dahlia, Asters, Lantana, Impatiens, Butterfly Bush,
Lilac, Snapdragons, Sassafras Tree, Cosmos, Blue Porterweed.
Where have all the butterflies gone?
Due to loss of habitat, butterflies are rapidly disappearing. Wild flowers are often confused as weeds
and are eliminated with herbicides. Butterflies depend on these flowers for food. When the flowers
die, butterflies have no food or place to lay eggs. Butterflies are also very sensitive to air pollution.
Even slight carbon monoxide from car exhaust can affect butterflies.
What Else Can I do to Help Butterflies?
o Learn about the butterflies in your area. Keep a journal of the different species you see
in your garden.
o Try to buy organically grown food at your local market. These butterfly friendly foods are
produced without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
o Use natural insect-controls such as predatory insects. Ladybugs and praying mantises are
nature’s pest control. As carnivores, they feed on many harmful insects and serve as great
protectors of your garden. Order these insects from your local garden center.
o Support organizations that are active in butterfly research and conservation.
o Reduce carbon monoxide by walking, carpooling or even purchasing a hybrid car and
help keep the air clean.
o Visit www.nwf.org to learn more about Backyard Habitats.
Butterflies go through a “complete” metamorphosis. This cycle includes egg, larva, pupa and finally
adult stages.
Build A Bat Box
TOP 7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BUILD A BAT BOX
1. BATS EAT BUGS- without predators, insects would soon overwhelm the earth. Bats consume
enormous quantities. One little brown bat can consume 1200 bugs in an hour, often 2 in a single
second. A nursing mother (like your bat box will attract) will eat more than her own body weight
nightly – up to 4500 insects, including pests like mosquitoes!
2. BANANAS, PEACHES, AVOCADOS, FIGS, DATES, MANGOES, CASHEWS... - Bats pollinate
all of these fruits, which means they help these plants reproduce and grow more fruit.
No bats = No Fruit!
2
A water dish, flowers, lots of sunshine and an area with dark moist soil protected from the wind are
all you need to create a butterfly garden! Remember to:
o Check your lawn at various times throughout the day to see which area receives the most sun.
Butterflies, like all insects, need sunny spots to raise their body temperature.
o Avoid using pesticides around these plants. Butterflies are as affected by pesticides as much
as harmful insects.
o Provide the butterflies with a water source. Any type of shallow container will work.
Give fresh water often.
o Be sure to include plants for all life stages. This means nectar plants for adult butterflies
and host plants for caterpillars.
Good Butterfly Nectar Plants and Caterpillar Host Plants
Ageratum, Milkweed, Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Bee-balm, Coneflower, Passion Vine, Mustard, Hibiscus,
Marigold, Salvia, Day Lily, Mallow, Phlox, Zinnia, Dahlia, Asters, Lantana, Impatiens, Butterfly Bush,
Lilac, Snapdragons, Sassafras Tree, Cosmos, Blue Porterweed.
Where have all the butterflies gone?
Due to loss of habitat, butterflies are rapidly disappearing. Wild flowers are often confused as weeds
and are eliminated with herbicides. Butterflies depend on these flowers for food. When the flowers
die, butterflies have no food or place to lay eggs. Butterflies are also very sensitive to air pollution.
Even slight carbon monoxide from car exhaust can affect butterflies.
What Else Can I do to Help Butterflies?
o Learn about the butterflies in your area. Keep a journal of the different species you see
in your garden.
o Try to buy organically grown food at your local market. These butterfly friendly foods are
produced without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
o Use natural insect-controls such as predatory insects. Ladybugs and praying mantises are
nature’s pest control. As carnivores, they feed on many harmful insects and serve as great
protectors of your garden. Order these insects from your local garden center.
o Support organizations that are active in butterfly research and conservation.
o Reduce carbon monoxide by walking, carpooling or even purchasing a hybrid car and
help keep the air clean.
o Visit www.nwf.org to learn more about Backyard Habitats.
Butterflies go through a “complete” metamorphosis. This cycle includes egg, larva, pupa and finally
adult stages.
Build A Bat Box
TOP 7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BUILD A BAT BOX
1. BATS EAT BUGS- without predators, insects would soon overwhelm the earth. Bats consume
enormous quantities. One little brown bat can consume 1200 bugs in an hour, often 2 in a single
second. A nursing mother (like your bat box will attract) will eat more than her own body weight
nightly – up to 4500 insects, including pests like mosquitoes!
2. BANANAS, PEACHES, AVOCADOS, FIGS, DATES, MANGOES, CASHEWS... - Bats pollinate
all of these fruits, which means they help these plants reproduce and grow more fruit.
No bats = No Fruit!
2
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Chesney Prairie and Stump Prairie visit set by Joe Neal for Audubon members and guests
Chesney is Tallgrass Prairie near Siloam Springs, way way up in NW
corner of Arkansas. Everyone is welcome -- don't need to be a member.
We will meet around 8 AM (you can also come later & just look for us
out there in the native grass & flowers) at Chesney Prairie Natural
Area, bird & botanize til we can't stand it anymore, then make the 1
mile drive over to Stump Prairie and do it again (BUT doesn't take as
long 'cause there's less of Stump). Joe Woolbright is keeping good
mowed paths open in both places, so it will be easy walking and you
can cover as much or as little as you wish. Probably be hot & sunny,
so come prepared. Bugs aren't usually bad at all there. There's
usually plenty of good stuff to see unless you are looking for the
Grand Wazoo.
Location: near Siloam Springs, AR. How to get there: From
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, take highway 412 W to near Siloam
Springs city limits. At the intersection of 412 & 59, turn N onto 59.
You pass the Siloam Springs airport. Approximately 1 mile past the
airport, note an intersection: the road W is ?Chesney;? road E is
?Bill Young.? Take Bill Young Road E approximately 0.8 miles. At this
point there is a gravel farm road going N. Go approximately 0.5 miles
N on this road to the dead end at chicken houses and the entrance sign
to CPNA.
--
JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas
corner of Arkansas. Everyone is welcome -- don't need to be a member.
We will meet around 8 AM (you can also come later & just look for us
out there in the native grass & flowers) at Chesney Prairie Natural
Area, bird & botanize til we can't stand it anymore, then make the 1
mile drive over to Stump Prairie and do it again (BUT doesn't take as
long 'cause there's less of Stump). Joe Woolbright is keeping good
mowed paths open in both places, so it will be easy walking and you
can cover as much or as little as you wish. Probably be hot & sunny,
so come prepared. Bugs aren't usually bad at all there. There's
usually plenty of good stuff to see unless you are looking for the
Grand Wazoo.
Location: near Siloam Springs, AR. How to get there: From
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, take highway 412 W to near Siloam
Springs city limits. At the intersection of 412 & 59, turn N onto 59.
You pass the Siloam Springs airport. Approximately 1 mile past the
airport, note an intersection: the road W is ?Chesney;? road E is
?Bill Young.? Take Bill Young Road E approximately 0.8 miles. At this
point there is a gravel farm road going N. Go approximately 0.5 miles
N on this road to the dead end at chicken houses and the entrance sign
to CPNA.
--
JOSEPH C. NEAL in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Peace-garden tour photos from Saturday June 13, 2009
Please click on images to ENLARGE view of Marie Riley's Julia Ward Howe Peace Garden with OMNI sign, great spangled fritillary at Ed Laningham's Glendale Garden and Amanda Bancroft at World Peace Wetland Prairie.
The great spangled fritillary, formally known as Speryeria cybele, was sighted at all six garden sites on Saturday. While the great spangled frit nectars on many species of flower, its caterpillers must have violets as host plants in order to mature.
The great spangled fritillary, formally known as Speryeria cybele, was sighted at all six garden sites on Saturday. While the great spangled frit nectars on many species of flower, its caterpillers must have violets as host plants in order to mature.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Peace-garden tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday June 13, 2009
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of OMNI Peace Garden Tour Poster.
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