As I made my way into the mountains of North Carolina, I was struck by the numbers of butterflies that flitted across the roadway. Then I realized the butterflies were struck, too - by my bumper. I found myself swerving dangerously to avoid smearing swallowtails on the windshield. I'm a bug lover, after all, and such high speed insect carnage doesn't sit well with me.
Bugs on the car bumper.
Photo: Flickr user dameetch.
In spite of my efforts to avoid them, I must have knocked off a few dozen large butterflies during my trip. I'm sure there were many smaller insects on the car's grill as well, but I couldn't bring myself to look. Why these winged bugs couldn't manage to fly just a foot or two higher, thereby avoiding certain death by automobile, is beyond me. I guess bugs are dumber than I like to think (and write).
Still, as I stressed about the butterfly casualties along the way, I also noticed something. In North Carolina, there were lots of butterflies. Where I live in southern NJ, people are talking about the strange lack of Lepidoptera this year. My entire backyard is planted with butterfly-attracting perennials, and most years I can't count their numbers as they fly by me. This year is different.
What's causing this puzzling decline in butterflies where I live? I can't be sure, but I have a good theory. With a record outbreak of gypsy moths in my neck of the woods, nearly every town in the state chose to take action. In May, the skies were filled (okay, that might be a slight exaggeration) with small planes, bombarding our trees with Bt, a bacteria used to control gypsy moth caterpillars. Unfortunately, it also kills any other Lepidopteran larva that happens to be munching leaves in the area. Driving in NJ does not require NASCAR-worthy skills to avoid hitting butterflies. We simply aren't seeing them in large numbers.
Next: Bug Encounters on the Road - On the Trail of Insects
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