butterfly

 

FRIDAY, JULY 25, 6:30-10:00 pm
WELCOME RECEPTION & SUPPER

For NABA & Miami Blue Chapter Members & FTBG Board ONLY

Mike Maunder, Director of FTBG, and Bruce Greer will briefly talk about the place of butterflies at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Dennis Olle, President of Miami Blue Chapter, will welcome participants and introduce the weekend's speakers. Dr. Naomi Pierce will then speak informally.

 

SATURDAY, JULY 26

All day:

  • Butterfly observation in Butterfly Garden with "Ask Me" volunteers familiar with butterfly and plant details
  • Butterfly plant sales
  • Kids' butterfly activities in the Learning Garden
  • Butterfly books & gifts for sale in the Garden House (Auditorium) and Gift Shop
  • Food & refreshments at the Veranda, Garden Café, and vendors kiosks

All lectures in the Garden House (Auditorium)

9:45 am

Butterfly Hike

This field trip for the intrepid, led by local experts, will take participants to several butterfly-rich areas of the Garden, including the Keys Coastal Habitat & Pinelands. This walk can produce over a dozen species of butterflies, including some special denizens of South Florida. 

Bring water, prepare for heat & possible mosquitos. 

Meet the tram at the tram station near the main entrance for a ride to the Lowlands, where the walk will begin. Tram support will also be available for the return trip at the end of the walk.
 

9:45 am Welcome, program overview and announcements.
 
10:00 am

Butterflies 101

Find out what butterflies are (and are not!), how many kinds live in South Florida, what they do, what they eat, how long they live, where and how to find and observe them ... in short, the basics, with some special emphasis on our blue butterflies.
 

10:45 am

South Florida's Wild Butterfly Habitats & Food Plants – Roger Hammer
 

11:45 am

Book signing by Roger Hammer and Jaret Daniels, and/or, eat lunch and visit the butterfly garden. 
 

12:45 pm

Robert L. Kelley Annual Lecture -- Naomi Pierce

Dr. Naomi Pierce
Hessel Professor of Biology & Curator of Lepidoptera, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

Dr. Pierce has studied the life styles of the Lycaenidaes, particularly the "Blues," revealing their intricate associations with specific ants and plants. She is a sought-after speaker at NABA conferences and we are delighted to have her with us for Butterfly Days.

 

2:15 pm

The Saga of the Miami Blue -- Jaret Daniels

Dr. Jaret Daniels
Assistant Professor of Entomology,
Assistant Director for Research, Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity,
Director, Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network &
Vice-Chair, US Butterfly Conservation Initiative

 

3:30 pm

Butterfly Gardens, Large & Small -- Q & A by Cindy David
 

3:30 pm

Miami Blue Chapter Membership Meeting

South Florida Butterfly Conservation:
Updates & Priorities for Action

Discussion by Dennis Ollie, Miami Blue President, and Dr. Jaret Daniels

The public is welcome — please join us!

           

SUNDAY, JULY 27

All day:

  • Butterfly observation in Butterfly Garden with "Ask Me" volunteers familiar with butterfly and plant details
  • Butterfly plant sales
  • Kids' butterfly activities in the Learning Garden
  • Butterfly books & gifts for sale in the Garden House (Auditorium) and Gift Shop
  • Food & refreshments at the Veranda, Garden Café, and vendors kiosks

All lectures in the Garden House (Auditorium)

9:45 am Welcome, program overview, announcements
 
10:00 am

The World of Butterfly Phoyography: an Introduction -- Pedro Lastra
 

11:15 am

Butterfly Gardens, Large & Small – Q & A by Cindy David

If you missed this presentation yesterday, now is your chance. 
 

12:15

Lunch

This is a good opportunity to visit the butterfly garden with docents.
 

1:00 pm South Florida's Lawn and Garden Weeds as Butterfly Habitat -- Steve Woodmansee
 
2:15 pm

Butterflies 102: South Florida Butterflies and their Host Plants  

Learn a little more of the basics plus the butterflies of FTBG and their food plants.
 

3:30 pm No, You Probably Don't Have Miami Blues in Your Yard ... but You Could Have Some of these Blue Butterflies - Dennis Olle
 

 
VOLUNTEER!

Miami Blue volunteers are invited to participate in Butterfly Days at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, July 25-27.  If you are not a Fairchild member, you will be admitted without charge for volunteering at the event.

We need people who can tend the Miami Blue Chapter table, encourage joining NABA-Miami Blue Chapter, and convey enthusiasm. We will give you a FAQ sheet with basic butterfly questions and answers, which you can give out, and we will have knowledgeable “ask me” persons nearby if someone hits you with a complicated question. This is Saturday & Sunday duty – no more than 2 hours at a stretch, indoors, while the programs are in session.

We need a few folks who know their common local butterflies and host plants to assist in the plant sales area and in the Butterfly Garden to mingle, answer questions, help folks identify butterflies and host plants.

If you can volunteer, please email Elane Nuehring (Miami Blue Events@bellsouth.net).  Thanks!