Butlers!! again.....

[guidofatherof5]

In your last photo it looks like one of them has a small injury. Healed but still an injury.
Did any of the others have injuries?

[anji1971]

Yeah, there were a few spots, especially on the female, that had some scale damage, like a bird had tried to make a grab for her or something. The area I found them is also normally covered in dense underbrush all summer, so she could have even had a collision with some thorns or spiky branches. None of the injuries looked like anything too worrisome, though.

[Snaky]

Some very nice finds!

[Quibble]

are butlers really endangered? it seems that they are protected in every state they are native to except Michigan. I see them all the time around my area, they love our gardens in the summer

does anybody breed them?

[anji1971]

I'm kind of leaning toward the idea that they "may" be more plentiful than suspected. But, as Kyle said somewhere up in this thread, most people wouldn't know the difference (I certainly didn't when I first encountered one!) and therefore, the sightings aren't being reported.
I'm going to make a royal pain in the arse of myself at our Nature Reserve, reporting every single one I see!

[Quibble]

I'm going to make a royal pain in the arse of myself at our Nature Reserve, reporting every single one I see!

LOL nice!

i live just on the other side of Lake St.Clair from you! ...im in St. Clair County!
maybe they just like this lake, and are nearly extinct everywhere else...
wouldnt we be the lucky ones if that were true?

i havnt seen anyone on the internet that breeds butlers though... does nobody like the poor little critters?

[ssssnakeluvr]

yes, I will be, am getting a pair of butler's this spring. there are several members on here that got babies last summer.

I used to pick up lots of butlers at Selfridge Air National Guard base when I was stationed there....I used to fish Lake St Clair all the time!!! loved it out there!!!!

[Quibble]

aww i wish i had a pair of butlers...

i go fishing on the boardwalks around town once in a while in the summer. it is really rewarding to enjoy the sunlight and the sound of the rushing water on a friday afternoon. maybe even take naps on the shady beaches. watch bonfires in the back yards of canadian families less than half a mile away, and smell the bonfires in my neighbor's yards.... sorry im daydreaming my town is my paradise.

[anji1971]

LOL nice!

i live just on the other side of Lake St.Clair from you! ...im in St. Clair County!
maybe they just like this lake, and are nearly extinct everywhere else...
wouldnt we be the lucky ones if that were true?

i havnt seen anyone on the internet that breeds butlers though... does nobody like the poor little critters?

They do seem to be scarce outside of this area in Ontario. But I've already found evidence of 2 new populations, which doubles what most guides point out. They seem to only be aware of a Walpole Island group, and a small population in Ojibway Park. I must wander about and see if I can find some more!

[jonnyc]

Hi Anji!

I am new to the forum and I read about your Butler's encounter in Windsor last Spring. Good work on the find, these guys are pretty elusive in Ontario. I am from Windsor as well and, coincidentally, I was also searching for butler's last spring and summer!

I am doing some of my graduate research on these guys. in 2009, we were doing some widescale surveys, trying to determine if they still persist in areas where they were historically. It turns out a few of the spots have been destroyed (Windsor Airport for example), but is some places they are still easy to find, probably the case with the rail corridor you mentioned. Many spots are threatened by development.

Im am in the process of finishing up a report on the work we did. Maybe your sighting would be helpfull? We did survey a few of the rail corridors but im not sure which one you were referring to. Anyways it would be great to chat. My email is jchoquet@uoguelph.ca, feel free to drop me a line.


Take care,
Jonathan