Welcome to the MDLepsOdes Group (MDLOG), a listserv devoted primarily to field observation and field study of mid-Atlantic butterflies, odes, and their associated habitats.

Over the years, the butterfly and ode communities have grown closer in our joint interest in and mutual commitment to field and ecology work, so a joint listserv makes great sense to me.

MDLepsOdes also serves (with LepLog, https://leplog.wordpress.com/) as the focal point for butterfly field trips and other forays. Members of the MDLepsOdes Group (MDLOG) often plan impromptu “Lep Treks” when interesting butterflies or habitats pique our interest. While most of them these days (given COVID and other concerns) will be day trips originating from the DC area, some of them might be overnights to areas like Dolly Sods WV or Buzzard Swamp PA. Unless otherwise noted, LepTreks are free although some of the areas we visit may charge an admission fee. Overnight lodging and meals of course are on your own.

There are plenty of resources for butterfly gardening, rearing leps, and general educational information about insects, but this list is created especially for those of us who are interested in field work. We welcome pictures, but this isn’t primarily a site for sharing good photography unless it is part of a field work or sightings discussion. We won’t be too picky about geographic limits of MDLepsOdes as long as the location is within a day trip’s distance for most Marylanders. That includes most of VA, much of PA, DE, DC, eastern WV and southern NJ. If you have an observation you believe would be of interest or value in helping our list members better understand local butterfly fauna, you're welcome to post here -- worse that could happen is I might take it down, but that's an option I use exceedingly sparingly.

Most importantly, this isn't a list to debate the politics of GMOs or restoration schemes or caterpillar rearing crises or to entertain the flame wars that erupt from time to time on some of our other local lists. Issues that touch on butterfly field research or observation -- such as collecting and permit rules, access to study sites, etc. -- will be welcome within reason. As moderator, I won't hesitate to pull the plug on posts or posters that wander repeatedly off topic or descend into the uncivil.

MDLepsOdes seeks to complement, not replace, the discussions on Facebook, Twitter, or other listservs. Each of these has its focus, just as MDLepsOdes does. If you want to follow sightings and field activities with a minimum of other distractions, this is the place to find them. The focus of *this* group is to get people into the field to see things that other observers are seeing; so coy or vague references to locations are antithetical to the aims of the group.

Other than that, MDLepsOdes works like all the other listservs at Google and Io: You subscribe yourself, and if the time comes that you want to leave the list, you unsubscribe yourself. There are also digest modes and vacation stops and other bells and whistles that are explained at the Google Groups site. To keep all of us from being spammed, I will be approving all requests to join the list, so give me a day or so to do that. If you have any problems, just drop me a note.

I want to drop a special invitation to the Maryland ode community -- I for one would really like to see/hear about what's being seen where. And to those of you lep people who've dropped out of the other discussions, welcome back!

A couple of REALLY QUICK rules:

1. Please sign all posts with a name and location (or give specifics about access that may limit others from seeing the species)

2. Please keep abbreviations of places and species to a minimum (and provide at least a minimal description of the place you are talking about, including the nearest town/city)

3. Please don't repeat the entire history of a thread to respond to one posting (but also don't assume other readers have read every post in the thread -- provide some context if necessary).

And lastly, one nomenclature plea: Many of our readers come here as learners, so we welcome the use of Latin names when appropriate. But please also use the common name in the first reference to a butterfly species if you plan to also use the Latin name. Yes, we can look it up. But yes, you can also post it and make the learning experience richer.

We look forward to seeing you at MDLepsOdes, and please share information you find here freely!

New on LepLog: Conservation assessment lacking for the vast majority of US insects and arachnids

Rick Borchelt