MA Butterfly Club--GREAT annual meeting!

[bil...@aol.com]

Hello All,

     I just wanted to put out a quick word of thanks and appreciation for the outstanding meeting we had this past Saturday evening at Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester, MA.  Between 40 and 50 folks were treated to an excellent and substantial potluck dinner, followed by a very informative (and entertaining!) talk and discussion by Dr. Art Shapiro from UC Davis, and then an equally entertaining fund-raising auction led by Brian Cassie and Carl Kamp.  Carl and Matt Pelikan played some beautiful recorder and guitar music during dinner.  The talk by Dr. Shapiro got us thinking outside the box about introduced vs. native plants and their impact on the butterfly fauna.  We also got to enjoy, and even bid on and buy, some of the exquisite caterpillar photographs on display by our own Sam Jaffe.  And we helped thank Brian Cassie for all of his work for our club by presenting him with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Life Membership to the club.  All in all, it was a great evening.  Thanks especially to Joe Wicinski, Karl Barry, Joe Stichter, and Rick Walker for their invaluable and much-appreciated help with setting the place up and cleaning up afterwards, and to Broad Meadow Brook staff members and MA butterfly members Martha Gach and Kristin Steinmetz for their hard work as well.  Everyone cooperated to make this a most successful evening.  Thank you!

Bill Benner

President, MA Butterfly Club

bil...@aol.com