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Inventory of Michigan's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Lepidoptera. Our highest priority project is to inventory all known data on Michigan's endangered, threatened and special concern species of Lepidoptera (54 species) and enter this information into a database. To date we have recorded information from over 30 collections, including all significant holdings in public institutions and those of most dedicated avocational lepidopterists with Michigan material. This is the most comprehesive inventory of these sensitive species ever attempted. We hope to complete the data collection phase of this project during fall 2001, at which time we will analyze the data and prepare a scientific article summarizing our findings.
If you have any specimens or photographic vouchers of these sensitive species there is still time to submit data. We encourage you to download the pdf file containing the list of species included in the project. Then, contact one of the participants listed below to find out details on data submission.
Michigan Butterflies & Skippers Revision. Mogens Nielsen, author of the popular field guide, Michigan Butterflies & Skippers, is interested in obtaining new county records for inclusion in the second edition of his book. If you think you have a new record, Mogens can be contacted by email at nielsen4@msu.edu. He can also be reached by phone on most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at (517) 353-7294. Written correspondence should be sent to the following address:
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Mogens Nielsen
A.J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection
Department of Entomology
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1115
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LepAlert. This public web site is a forum for anyone interested in Lepidoptera to exchange information about what they are finding in the field. The site is managed by Owen Perkins and is located at http://www.lepalert.org. Owen is working to get more people interested in Lepidoptera and to improve communication among those who have already caught the bug, so to speak.
Distribution and Biology of Bog Obligate Butterflies in Michigan. Several survey participants are conducting extensive field surveys in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to learn more about butterflies found in northern sphagnum heath bogs. Although these species are common throughout much of the arctic and Lower Canadian life zones, they are at the southern edge of their range in Michigan and only persist here as very localized populations in or adjacant to bogs. The species being studied include: Boloria freija, B. frigga saga, B. eunomia dawsoni, Erebia discoidalis and Oeneis jutta ascerta.
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