GRANITE FALLS — David Droppers got hooked on butterflies after his first trip to the Woodland Park Zoo.
“I dove into it and never came out,” he said.
The self-proclaimed butterfly geek turned his passion into work. Droppers, 22, of Lynnwood, is a keeper at the Seattle zoo, working to save endangered Oregon butterflies.
Droppers earlier this month led a group of about a dozen butterfly enthusiasts on a field trip along the Old Monte Cristo Townsite trail. Armed with binoculars and nets, the group roamed the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in search of butterflies never seen before in Snohomish County, Droppers said.
“It’s a very unexplored area for butterflies,” he said. “There’s a lot of spots to check out.”
Several spots along the Mountain Loop Highway remain unexplored butterfly country, he said.
Droppers and the group hoped to spot the Johnson’s hairstreak, a species of concern in Washington, said Kelly Sprute with the U.S. Forest Service. That means the butterfly may become endangered.
“We know it’s in the forest. We are trying to determine its actual habitat,” Sprute said.
None were discovered during the trip, but the group wasn’t discouraged, he said.
Droppers is a member of the Washington Butterfly Association.
“A lot of our members use butterflies as an excuse to get out,” he said.
Many people prefer looking at butterflies to, say, birding, because they often get to see the insects up close. Once a butterfly is caught, enthusiasts gently place it in a jar with a magnifying glass for everyone to look at. After that, they release the butterfly.
Butterflies also play an important role in nature, Droppers said.
The insects pollinate plants and serve as food to many different birds and other animals. Butterflies are so sensitive to changes in their habitat that people use them to track changes in the environment, Droppers said.
“We are using them as indicators of healthy environment,” he said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
