"It's an American painted lady!"
"I''ve got one. I think it's a buckeye! He's cute!"
"I have two in my net—a skipper and a wood nymph!"
During the morning hours of July 2nd, calls such as this echoed over the Diamond Grove Prairie Conservation Area, north and west of Diamond, MO. Several excited people were not speaking a foreign language or using secret code words. They were taking part in a Butterfly Identification(ID) Hike, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and led by naturalist Amy Juhala.
About 15 people of all ages showed up for the morning walk on the prairie with Ranger Juhala. Some were mothers who brought their kids so they all could learn about nature. Some were Master Naturalists who take nearly every opportunity to learn about and be in the natural world. Some were just curious to see what people look for to identify butterflies.
Juhala began the morning with a short talk about butterflies and how to identify them. She told the group that butterfly watching, also called "butterflying," is becoming more and more popular. She explained that watching butterflies puts people outdoors where they can observe other wildlife, plants, and flowers.
The most equipment a butterfly watcher needs is an identification book, a net, and a pair of binoculars. She said binoculars can be used to observe and identify butterflies without netting them, which can sometimes do them harm.
She explained how people on butterfly expeditions "see so many other things," and that it is "a good family outing."
The morning was perfect. The temperature was in the sixties, the sky partly cloudy, and there was only a slight breeze. Juhala said butterflies didn't like wind, so the group had perfect conditions for a butterfly ID.
After showing pictures and examples of various butterflies, Ranger Juhala issued binoculars, identification cards, and butterfly nets. She even demonstrated how to catch butterflies with a net so they could be identified while not doing them any harm. Armed with their nets and identification charts, the group headed across Diamond Grove Prairie.
Soon people were catching butterflies, moths and skippers. As the group walked along, Juhala pointed out some of the plants that act as hosts to butterflies—explaining which ones butterflies feed from and which ones they lay their eggs on.
