Thursday, January 19, 2006

The Tiniest of Concerns

(Photo courtesy of Tom Pawlesh Wildlife Photography)

You know, every once in a while, amid the sad and wanton destruction of beautiful old trees and the wholesale killing of deer on the battlefield, the National Park Service here at Gettysburg manages to do something truly amazing.

This tiny and exquisite creature is an Eastern Regal Fritillary butterfly.  It isn't something one would expect to find gracing the front page of the Park Service's newspaper, The Gettysburg Quarterly but, amazingly enough, there it was.

I quote from the article entitled "New Orchards and Butterfly Habitat Spring Forth at Gettysburg".

"As a result of Gettysburg National Military Park's continuing efforts to bring back missing features of the 1863 battlefield, newly established grasslands are offering expanded habitat for a variety of plants and animals.  This is one example of how cultural landscapes are intimately connected to the natural resources of our parks.

"A perfect example is that the native grasses and vegetation on the Gettysburg battlefield provide the habitat necessary for a Pennsylvania state-listed, endangered butterfly, the Eastern Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia idalia).  In September, the park re-introduced this butterfly to the battlefield in a project  co-sponsored by The Pennsylvania Nature Conservancy, Fort Indiantown Gap Military Installation, and the Department of Defense.  

"The Eastern Regal Fritillary butterfly was once common to Pennsylvania, and had even been recorded in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg as recently as 1980.  Unfortunately, it is now known to exist in only one place -- an active artillery firing range at Fort Indiantown Gap.  That habitat, as you can imagine, is not ideal.

"Once springtime rolls around and the eggs have had a chance to hatch, we'll know how successful the reintroduction effort has been.  Keep your fingers crossed and your eyes peeled for this newly returned butterfly at Gettysburg."


The Eastern Regal Fritillary  butterfly in an enclosure on
the battlefield last September.  Several butterflies were
brought to the battlefield to lay thousands of eggs which
will hatch in the spring to reintroduce this endangered
butterfly to Gettysburg's open fields.  The enclosures
were set up for several days and then dismantled and
the butterflies were returned to Fort Indiantown Gap.


               
The butterfly enclosure on the Gettysburg battlefield.





















So, there you have it.  What a wonderful thing!  Even the National Park Service occasionally gets it right.

After reading the article, I did a little research online about the Regal.  The United States Fish and Wildlife Service calls them "a species of concern", and the Indiantown Gap Regals are a genetically distinct subspecies, Speyeria idalia idalia. This is the only known colony.

I can't wait until Spring to see if I can photograph some of these rare little beauties here on the battlefield.  Be sure and view Tom Pawlesh's lovely photographic study from a trip to Indiantown Gap, courtesy of the Nature Conservancy.

Today, I'm feeling  Thrilled!

Sunday, January 15, 2006

From The Horse's Mouth

 "The team no one talks about....this team could give either Pitt or Indy a run for their money next week." 
- Dan Shanoff, ESPN

The Broncos so rock!  The game with the Patriots was a nailbiter, that's for sure, but our boys did what it took to win against a team that hasn't lost a playoff game in 10 years.  What a thrill ride!  Hope they go all the way.  I hope my nerves can take it.

Last time they were in the Superbowl, I taped it and watched it AFTER I knew the results.  I just get too crazy if I watch it live.  I'm neurotic that way... LOL!

Friday, January 13, 2006

Sanity


Sanity means water.  Any place with water.  I'll admit it... I'm a water baby.  Always have been, always will be.  The more the better (meaning the ocean, of course!) but any little bit'll do in a pinch.  There's something about the sight and sound and even the smell of it that creeps down into my soul and weeds out all of the misery. It soothes me.  It makes me happy.

And I am badly in need of it.  Was hard at it at Big Dogs Hell until nearly 4 AM this morning doing their cursed inventory.  I thought it would never, ever end.  I just can't tell you how desperately unhappy I am at that place. 

I'm off today to recover.  Like I said before -- there's nothing a little 60 degree weather and sunshine and a day off can't fix.  My sister told me I shouldn't think of warm weather in the middle of January as a cruel joke.  Rather, she encouraged me to view it as a marvelous gift.  Makes sense.  My sister is very wise.  She's learned the hard way how to make the best of most bad situations.  I wish I could be more like her.

Sanity means water.  So I'm off in search of a little of it!


Friday, January 13, 2006 2:55 AM
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