In this issue...

Reflections from the President

Earth Day

Spotted Gar Pike

Reflections on the Spring Chill

Why?

Nature Area Happenings

With Appreciation

From the Family Butterfly Book

Memorials

Mark Your Calendar

Newletter Sponsor

Upcoming Events...

October 6
Bird Walk
10:00AM
Nature Area

October 20
Nature Hike
9:00AM
Bird Sanctuary

Nature Area Open
Saturday 10:00AM - 2:00PM
Thursday 6PM - 8PM until Oct 1
After Oct 1, the Nature Area is open only on Saturdays

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Last Day Open - October 28

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From the Family Butterfly Book
by Rick Mijula (This book was donated by Barbara Leeper to the Nature Area library>

Did you know: Many Native tribes referred to butterflies as "flying flowers" because of their wonderful, often iridescent colors.

Aristotle's fellow Greeks demonstrated their appreciation of butterflies by coining the word chrysalis, which is Greek for "gold".

The caterpillar's body has thirteen segments. Because its skin doesn't stretch, the creature must shed the skin, or molt, several times as it grows. Each stage of growth is called an instar.

The caterpillar's final instar produces the chrysalis. A caterpillar spins silk and creates a chrysalis with the help of spinnerets on its mouth. Then, inside the chrysalis, occurs the remarkable transformation known as metamorphosis.

The cremaster is the silken pad that attaches the chrysalis to a stem, twig, or other firm surface.

Rick's tips: If you have a stack of firewood on your property, check every log before pitching it into your fireplace or woodstove. The woodpiles offer a safe haven for chrysalises and overwintering adults; in fact, many pupae look surprisingly like a knot of wood and can be easily overlooked. Help save innocent lives!