June Editors Letter
Blue-Butterfly Day
by Robert Frost
It is blue-butterfly day here in spring,
And with these sky-flakes down in flurry on flurry
There is more unmixed color on the wing
Than flowers will show for days unless they hurry.
But these are flowers that fly and all but sing:
And now from having ridden out desire
They lie closed over in the wind and cling
Where wheels have freshly sliced the April mire.
I think if there’s one childhood memory that unites us all, it is that brief time in early summer when fireflies rise from the ground, twinkling like a million strands of lights. Just thinking about those memories makes me want to kick off my shoes and twirl around in the yard with damp blades of grass tickling my toes. I can close my eyes and feel the magic of being surrounded by a blanket of lights that sparkle like earthbound stars. It’s nature’s magic show that leaves you awash with wonder.
You’ll relive all those youthful recollections when you read Stan Bumgardner’s article on page 4 about Light Up West Virginia, a program created by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources zoologist Mack Frantz and assistant zoologist Krista Noe. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to download the app, put your citizen scientist hat on, and participate in their important data collection. It’s also a great way to introduce the younger generation to the firefly phenomenon—but educate them first. I’m ashamed to admit that, when I was a child, no one told me that this fleeting light display was part of a mating ritual. As kids, we grabbed mason jars and filled them with lightning bugs or fashioned rings on our fingers from their luminescent bodies. Discourage your children or grandchildren from catching fireflies. Teach them to respect the environment and the vulnerability of these insects. Inspire them to bear witness to the magic, and in doing so, these formative experiences will be etched in their own nostalgic recollections.
As I sheepishly think about collecting lightning bugs, I’m also reminded of spending summer days catching June bugs and tying strings on their legs in an attempt to fly them like kites and chasing through fields of butterflies, trying to capture one by cupping my small hands around them so that I could get a closer look. Our gallery of photographs on page 10 showcases the ethereal beauty of butterflies. Their whisper-thin wings are artistic masterpieces that only nature can paint. And again, it’s important to teach our children to look but don’t touch. Due to habitat loss, pesticides, and pollution, we are seeing an alarming decline in the Monarch butterfly population. DNR has been working on Monarch butterfly conservation for years. There are several protected areas in our state parks, and DNR has created a Wild Yards Manual that will help you create your own backyard wildlife habitat. You can download a copy here. You may also request a printed copy by contacting the WVDNR Wildlife Diversity Program at DNRWildYards@wv.gov, 304.637.0245, or West Virginia Wild Yards, Wildlife Diversity Program, WVDNR, P.O. Box 67, Elkins, WV 26241.
This summer, I wish for you a million moments of enchantment, where the sight of fireflies dancing in the night sky and butterflies fluttering from flower to flower fills you with wonder.
Revel in the WONDERfulness of West Virginia,
Nikki