5^th Annual Autumn Butterfly Count

Thursday, September 30, 2010
8:30 to dusk
(weather conditions permitting)

We need 8-10 teams, with at least 2 to 3 people in each team. It is good if each team has someone who knows all the butterflies, but it is more important to have someone who can take a photo of the mystery butterfly. Each team needs a spotter, who stays with the butterfly until it can be identified and counted. Each team needs counters, who can tally the easy to ID species as we walk along. Each team needs someone to write down what everyone is calling out. Beginners are welcome! Before long, you will be singing out, “Another Pearl Crescent!” or muttering “Make that five more ETBs” along with everyone else.

The North American Butterfly Association charges us $3/person for the count. Register by September 28, and the Friends of Oxley will pay your count fee. Butterfly Counting

We cannot count every single butterfly within the fifteen mile circle. We do our best to count the same way, at a number of locations within the circle every year, though. As the years go by, each one of these seasonal “snapshots” allows us to get an idea of the general trends going on in our part of the world. We pay attention to whether the numbers are going up or down, or are staying the same, from year to year. We try to watch how weather and habitat affect butterfly populations each season. We compare what happens in our circle to what is happening all across North America.

What is truly amazing is that Tulsa, a fairly ordinary urban area, is an extraordinary place to find butterflies! When you compare what we find here with what butterfly counters tally at counts across North America, the Tulsa Counts are consistently in the top rankings, in terms of the number of different kinds of butterflies found. This richness of biodiversity is partly due to the fact that Tulsa is where north meets south and east meets west, and where prairie meets forest. It also indicates a very healthy environment, not just for butterflies, but for all kinds of living things, including humans.

Previous Count Results

How the City of Tulsa’s budget cuts still
affect Oxley Nature Center

Oxley Nature Center has always operated with a very small full-time staff directing and expediting the efforts of the seasonal and volunteer staff. It has been twenty years since the Nature Center divided the work among 4 people, and Redbud Valley Nature Preserve was not a part of that schedule. We are beginning to realize that there are some things we just won’t be able to keep up with at previous levels.

We will have to scale back on the size of school groups coming on guided tours. Oxley Nature Center’s school programs will no longer be free of charge, except to Tulsa Public Schools. Fortunately, a generous private donor is providing some funding to help defray bus expenses for fieldtrips to Oxley Nature Center; we do request that teachers ask their parent-teacher organizations first.

You will find not quite as many weekend programs being offered, and the monthly astronomy programs are on hold. In order to be good stewards of our resources we ask that programs requiring supplies to be purchased or much preparation time have a minimum number of participants pre-registered 48 hours in advance. The staff has to consider each request for a program carefully now, and will have to say no more often than we like.

On the positive side, neither Oxley Nature Center nor Redbud Valley Nature Preserve has had to scale back any of the hours or days that it is open, other than the mandatory furlough days, and we have tried to remain open on a few of them when possible, flexing other days off. We have only had to cancel a few previous commitments and bookings. Oxley Nature Center’s excellent seasonal and volunteer staff has stepped forward to fill in when and where they can.

How can you help? Oxley Nature Center’s volunteer staff is always looking for another good recruit; even just a few hours each month can be a big help. Check out the “volunteers” link to find out what you might be able to do. Become a Member of The Friends of Oxley Nature Center. Not only do Members get discounts, the Oxley Nature Center Association fills in many little gaps in the Nature Center’s budget. The Friends group works on big projects too, like raising money for new exhibits and the recent remodeling of the Interpretive Building.

Attention Teachers!

Click here for information on school programs.

Oxley Nature Center has a few open days for school tours this fall and next spring! Here is your chance to book an award-winning tour for your class. You may choose among several topics. The Riddle of the Woods is written for upper elementary students, and presents the lesson of energy flow from sun to producers to consumers to decomposers in the form of a mystery to be solved. BioF.A.D., which stands for Biologist For A Day, is designed to allow middle school students a chance to find out what it is like to be a field biologist as they rotate among 4 stations gathering data as citizen scientists. A Pathfinder tour offers younger students the chance to earn a badge as they hone their observation skills. A General Discovery tour can be designed for any age, and may incorporate any natural history topic you wish to introduce or emphasize.

News from Oxley's Nature Store

SALE!! All T-Shirts 25% off.
Limited size selection available.
No additional discounts on sale merchandise.
Adult and youth shirts in several styles

Oxley's Nature Store now stocks Cloud B Products

 Twilight Turtle projects a complete starry night sky onto the walls and ceiling of any room. Choose from three soothing color options – blue, green, and amber – to create magical, tranquil environments that are ideal for helping children of all ages ease into a restful sleep.

Parents can also sit with their children and identify 8 major constellations within Twilight’s star pattern using the wonderfully illustrated Star Guide. Twilight Turtle is individually hand painted and includes a battery saving time out function, push button reactivating, easy color selection, and 3 AAA batteries. A perfect gift for all ages.