Butterfly count brings out hardy nature lovers

By Tanya Brown
Journal & Courier
July 16, 2006

Butterfly Count 2006 attendees at Lilly Tippecanoe Laboratories Wildlife Habitat Area in Lafayette

Yining Chen, a West Lafayette resident, braved temperatures in the high 90s on Saturday to do some butterfly-watching.

Chen, who attended the annual Tippecanoe County Butterfly Count last year, said she enjoyed it so much the first time that she brought several friends back with her.

"I think it's quite interesting to join in this kind of activity," Chen said. "We had a lot of fun last year."

About 50 people, from infants to retired folk, descended on the Lilly Tippecanoe Laboratories Wildlife Habitat Area in Lafayette for the count, which serves as more than an education for those interested in butterfly identification.

"Butterflies are a good indicator of the overall health of an area's environment, both as far as numbers and their diversity," said Arwin Provonsha, curator of the Purdue Entomological Research Collection at Purdue University.

The North American Butterfly Association uses data from similar counts across the country every summer to gauge butterfly population trends and the health of each area.

"We're getting a local picture here as well as helping out with the large picture," said Provonsha. "But it's just fun. Butterflies are fun and it's a nice walk out in the fields today, and that's reason enough to do it."

Tom Turpin, professor of entomology at Purdue, said the heat could result in a lower count this year.

"They can't regulate their temperatures at all," he said of the winged creatures. "We generally say about 50 degrees Fahrenheit is where they can be active, and when you get up around 100 degrees, then they might hide under the leaves and get out of the sun."

Still, Evelyn Knochel, a Lafayette resident, said the hunt was just as fun as watching butterflies zip across fields.

"I just love nature and anything in it," she said. "I used to go camping a lot with my kids and that's the kind of thing you do. You look for the wildlife."