Rice Creek Field Station, SUNY Oswego (New York)

Butterfly surveys at Rice Creek Field Station were initiated in 1996 by Peter G. Weber, then a professor in the Department of Biology at SUNY Oswego. Pete was assisted by his son, Nicholas F. Weber, and by Michael Holy, science teacher at Hannibal High School and an alumnus of SUNY Oswego. Mike has continued this monitoring effort since Peter's retirement and move to Colorado in 2009.

Monitoring consists of counting each butterfly encountered within 5 meters on either side of up to 8 permanent transects along the trails and in the open fields and meadows at the Field Station. The total length of transects sampled exceeds 5,500 meters.

Snapshot

Coordinator: Holy, E. Michael (Mike)
Program Started: 1996
Institution Type: Academic Institution
Species Focus: All butterfly species
Rice Creek Field Station Butterflies
Contact: Mike Holy (fordlep@yahoo.com)

Protocol

Protocol Type: Restricted search, Pollard
Data Type(s): Abundance
Survey Focus: Adults, Juveniles
Incidental Data Collected: Weather, Host / nectar plants, Habitat notes
Visit Frequency: Weekly
Protocol Notes: Several surveys were conducted up to twice per week in the early years
Taxonomic Standard: Modified NABA

Program Results

Publications:

Weber PG, Preston S, Dlugos MJ, and AP Nelson. 2008. The Effects of Field Mowing on Adult Butterfly Assemblages in Central New York State. Natural Areas Journal 28(2).