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Welcome Back, reader!
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March 2023 Edition
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Welcome to another exciting year of supporting butterflies and moths! We hope this newsletter finds you in good health and spirits.
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Within the last month the weather isn't sure what season it is. The False Spring triggered many species of butterfly to become active. The photo featured above is one of three Black Swallowtail eggs we observed being laid in our habitat. It sets a record for the earliest we have observed a female Black Swallowtail lay eggs. I took in the eggs to give them a chance to become caterpillars. It looks like they will be hatching within the next couples of days.
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Lots of reports for the First of the Year species were posted on the Carolina Leps Listserv during the warm spell. Then this week started off with surprise "chunky rain" on Sunday here in Hillsborough and winter came back.
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For the past three seasons the first broods of the year have been impacted by freezing temperatures. I was hoping this year it would stay warm enough at the critical time. It has not. Time will tell just how much this year's populations have been impacted. And thus begins the 2023 Lepidoptera season!
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Before I sign off, I'd like to informally introduce our first two volunteers who will be helping us this year. Sam Spaulding will be helping with our newsletter, Facebook page, and Facebook group. Kristen Compton will be assisting at our plant sale fundraiser. Let's give both a warm welcome!
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Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser
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Help us fulfill our missions by shopping our annual Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser! The sale starts on April 1st and ends on May 30th.
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Plants aren't quite as irresistible in comparison to buying Girl Scout cookies, but if you think about it, host and nectar plants are like Girl Scout cookies for insects.
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A handy tip for shopping I learned from our customers: Start building your wishlist on our website. (You'll need to register to save your wishlist.) That way when check-out opens at 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 1st, all you will have to do is click a few buttons to place an order.
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This year we've added some Saturday dates to shop in-person. The graphic above lists all dates and times for in-person shopping.
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Home Delivery & Pick-up Orders
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We will be doing home deliveries on Wednesdays and Thursdays this year. Pick-up orders can be gotten during the same dates and times as our in-person shopping hours.
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Instead of Raising Prices We Grew More Plants!
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We have not raised the prices on our plants or the fees for delivery, although some of our costs of production have increased due to inflation. We decided that instead we'll grow more plants in order to sell more plants.
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Our goal is to sell 4,000 this spring. We ask for your help in spreading the word about our fundraiser on social media, word of mouth, and through other channels of communication.
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What We Do with the Money We Raise
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All money we raise goes to operating costs, programs, and services. No one in our organization is financially compensated for their time or labor.
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An overview of some of our programs and services that are funded by our plant sale:
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Caterpillar Support Program
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We make house calls as needed to assist program applicants. We provide host plants leaves, whole host plants, critter keepers, chrysalis relocation, and mini tutorials on how to care for caterpillars. All goods and services are free of charge.
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We donate plants to public pollinator garden projects. HOAs can receive up to 10 plants. Schools, parks, and other qualifying organizations can receive up to 20 plants.
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We conducted two NABA butterfly counts in August, host multiple moth nights and the NC Under-reported County Mothing Project. All of our Lepidoptera surveys are free and open to participants of all ages and skill levels.
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Some of this years plant collection getting some quality time in the sun.
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2023 Spring Plant Collection
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A list of our 2023 Spring Plant Collection is now available for download or can be viewed below by clicking on the individual images. Not all plants will be available at the start of our plant sale. We will be posting availability of individual species on our website, Facebook page, and through our Shop Updates emailing list. As always, all plants listed are subject to change and availability.
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This year we're offering the most selection of species ever. We added more Keystone Species plants and have brought back some previous offered plants, such as Pussytoes and Wingstem. We also will have the highly coveted Purple Milkweed!
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Some trees and bushes we have had in previous years were not available this spring from the vendor we use. They will be available for our fall plant sale fundraiser.
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Quantities of each species of plant will be added to our website around March 20th. This year we will have two separate stocks of plants, one for online and one for in-person shopping. If you have any questions about this year's collection, please reach out to us.
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Volunteer Program Launched
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When we founded our organization we envisioned that one day we would have a volunteer program. This year we are able to make that vision a reality.
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Areas that we currently could use assistance are Habitat Maintenance*, Plant Sale Fundraising, and Community Outreach. All of our volunteer positions are "learn as you go", so no previous experience with Lepidoptera or plants is required, though any skill or knowledge level would surely be beneficial to have.
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A willingness to help out and a desire to learn more about Leps and plants is all that is needed to get started on becoming a volunteer. Visit our Volunteer webpages to learn more and fill out an application.
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*To be transparent, Habitat Maintenance is a fancy way of saying you will be weeding and doing light gardening work.
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NC Under-reported County Mothing Project
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The North Carolina Under-reported County Mothing Project (NCUCMP) is a not-cleverly named citizen science project to conduct surveys in those NC counties that have 100 or less species records as listed on the Moths of North Carolina website.
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All surveys will be conducted over two consecutive nights at an AirBnB rental within the target county. Properties are selected based on photos provided by the host. We look at the types of trees on the property and whether the location is suburban or rural. The surveys will be scheduled for weekends in June, July, and September, with August being a possibility.
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Anyone who is interested in moths and being part of citizen science is welcome and encouraged to register. Students are eligible to participate for free; for everyone else there is a $25 participant fee to help cover expenses. Participants are responsible for their own transportation and meal expenses. Click the button to learn more, see data from the first year, see proposed survey sites, and register.
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Not sure what plants to grow in your habitat? We can help by conducting a free yard consultation that will provide you with a plant recommendation list. We have openings for dates in April and May.
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