The drought gripping much of Georgia is taking a toll on wildlife. One result is low numbers of butterflies, bees and other common insects in much of the state right now, wildlife experts say.
Jerry Payne of Musella, who led the annual daylong butterfly count on June 21 in the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge and the Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area in Middle Georgia, said it was difficult to find the colorful insects. Many nectar-producing flowers and plants that caterpillars feed on have dried up.
“We considered ourselves fortunate to have a tentative total of 45 [butterfly species],” Jerry said.
He noted this year’s event “may have been the first count I’ve been on where there was no puddle party.” As butterfly enthusiasts know, a “puddle party” is where butterflies congregate on wet ground to lap up the nutrient-rich moisture.
The drought also apparently contributed to a downturn in wood stork nesting in South Georgia wetlands this spring -- 2,136 nests compared with 2,696 last season. Fewer nests isn’t cause for major alarm, state wildlife biologists said, but the wood stork is an endangered species and any loss of nesting sites is a concern.
The drought has dried up many of the small, natural wetlands where wood storks and some other wading birds nest, said Tim Keyes, an ornithologist with the Department of Natural Resources. The majority of this year’s wood stork nests are in deep-water artificial impoundments, he said.
Another drought concern is that nesting songbirds and their young may suffer from the lack of insects at a time when the bugs are needed most for high-protein food.
And like other animals, birds need water itself for survival on these hot summer days, so providing clean fresh water in birdbaths is very beneficial to the feathered creatures. Some tips:
-- Change birdbath water daily.
-- Birds like the sight and sound of moving water, so a birdbath with a drip will bring in more birds. Consider a small recirculating pump for your birdbath.
-- Place a birdbath away from a seed feeder to prevent fouling the water with seeds and hulls.
-- Try to place a birdbath in a spot where cats are least likely to lurk.
-- Rinse out the birdbath about every two weeks with a 9-1 water-bleach solution to prevent the growth of algae and microbes.
-- Put out slices of apples and oranges for extra moisture and nourishment.
In the sky: The moon is in new phase, so look for a thin crescent low in the west Saturday night, said David Dundee, astronomer with Tellus Science Museum. Mercury is low in the west just after dark and will appear near the moon Sunday morning. Mars is low in the east about three hours before sunrise. Jupiter rises out of the east after midnight. Saturn is high in the west at dark and sets in the west around midnight. It will appear near the moon Thursday night. Venus is too close to the sun for easy observation. Earth reaches aphelion (farthest from the sun in its orbit), about 95 million miles from the sun, at about 11 a.m. Monday.
