8/25/2021 Bird walks
Bird walks are back! Currently there are not enough designated bird walk leaders for a full schedule and we are still under some COVID restrictions. We are posting what we have on our website Upcoming Events Calendar, which is in this section of the website. We held a ZOOM meeting discussing our need for more leaders and have had encouraging responses. We will have more announcements soon. In the meantime, check out what is on the calendar. We'll keep you posted. Sid Webb, website manager
8/25/2021 Bird walks
Bird walks are back! Currently there are not enough designated bird walk leaders for a full schedule and we are still under some COVID restrictions. We are posting what we have on our website Upcoming Events Calendar, which is in this section of the website. We held a ZOOM meeting discussing our need for more leaders and have had encouraging responses. We will have more announcements soon. In the meantime, check out what is on the calendar. We'll keep you posted. Sid Webb, website manager
Lepidoptera
The MVAS Board response to the question “Should we have a butterfly and moth section of MVAS?” was a resounding “YES”. This was followed on 9/16/2020 by a ZOOM presentation by Rob Wu “Intro to Butterflying” that was eagerly watched by nearly 30 “birders”. Although Audubon is not known to feature lepidoptera, the idea of watching out for butterflies as we do our birding makes a lot of sense. It's another way to better appreciate the natural world around us.
Rob Wu has made his Power Point presentation to MVAS available via a ".PDF" file (more easily displayed via website). It is a very comprehensive and helpful introduction to learning about butterflies here in the Mesilla Valley. It has clues about how to get started in the field, illustrations and descriptions of the commonest butterflies seen locally, and references some hard cover guides as well as online resources.
MVAS Butterfly Presentation by Rob Wu (click to open. Please note, this presentation is copyrighted and not to be reproduced)
Guidebooks: (featured as part of Rob Wu presentation)
“A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America” (2nd ed.) by Jeffrey Glassberg
“Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America” by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman
“Butterfly Landscapes of New Mexico by Steven J. Cary
Online Resources: (featured as part of Rob Wu presentation)
Butterflies and Moths of North America (a.k.a., BAMONA) www.butterfliesandmoths.org
North American Butterfly Association www.naba.org
Butterflies of America www.butterfliesofamerica.com
eButterfly www.e-butterfly.org
Create a home garden that will attract butterflies. Article with table listing plants that one can grow in the Las Cruces, New Mexico area. (taken from Winter Edition Roadrunner Ramblings, 2020) . Open article:
More Online References: The following two references were shared by Anna Jones and her student Melissa who found our webpage while preparing for a "Garden Preparing and Planning Workshop" in Wyoming. They hit the spot for butterfly info! Thank you very much Anna and Melissa!
A Guide to Butterfly Gardens: https://www.avasflowers.net/a-guide-to-butterfly-gardens
Creating Pollinator Gardens: Flower Fragrances to Attract Pollinators https://www.fragrancex.com/fragrance-information/creating-pollinator-gardens-flower-fragrances-to-attract-pollinators.html
We invite comments on your response to this page. Should we continue with this project? What would you like it to include? How could such a project eventually lead to in the field activities? Using the MVAS Contact Page below will ensure your thoughts reach the web page editor. Thanks, Sid Webb