Central Meadow
Over the past several years, the Friends of Greenview and Pioneer Nature Area have been restoring the meadow at Greenview. Annual controlled burns and other methods are being used to eradicate invasive species and woody shrubs. This combination of management techniques has reduced the decades-old populations of persistent woody invasive shrubs, and native wildflowers and grasses have begun to reclaim this open spaces.
The Central Meadow is now a vibrant habitat featuring many native wildflowers such as Mountain mint, Ironweed, Black-eyed Susan, several types of goldenrod, aster, milkweed, and coneflower. These native forbs and grasses attract many types of birds and insects, including many species of butterflies and moths.
As part of restoration efforts, the meadows have been seeded forbs (wildflowers) and with four native prairie grass species: Big Bluestem, Indian grass, Little Bluestem, and Switchgrass. Grasses provide food and refuge for birds, reptiles, and many insects.
Butterflies
More than 50 species of butterflies have been observed at Greenview. Butterflies commonly found at the Central Meadow include Cabbage White, Little Wood Satyr, Pearl Crescent, Clouded and Orange Sulphur, Monarch, Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tailed-Blue, and many types of skippers.
Butterfly and Wildflower Tour
Friends of Greenview organize an annual “Butterfly and Wildflower Tour” at the nature area. Local guides, including members of the North American Butterfly Association, lead the tour and facilitate the observation of butterflies and wildflowers. Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive event notifications, or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/friendsofgreenview/
Butterfly Study
For over 20 years, Dr. John Swales and other members of the North American Butterfly Association have conducted annual butterfly counts in the meadow areas at Greenview. The annual studies report that butterfly populations observed from year to year at Greenview are fairly stable. However, continued meadow management is important to prevent the encroachment of woody invasives.
Greenview Butterfly Survey
Greenview Nature Area Butterflies 2024
John Swales
We made 20 visits to Greenview this year (about average), starting on April 10 and finishing on October 3. We had better coverage than usual in 2024, as Mary Breslow and I were often accompanied by Judith Lobato, William Sverdlik and Atticus Tanguay. This allowed for more than one group in the field, which more than compensated for my limited mobility.
In 2024, 32 species of butterfly were observed (9 below average) and 1439 individuals (about average, but a big improvement on last year). No new species were added to the cumulative list, which stands at about 54. One species with a dramatic increase was the tiny, golden Least Skipper, with an annual total of over 250 individuals. In contrast, and as elsewhere in the county, Monarch numbers were seriously down with only 14 tallied, as were the Tawny-edged Skipper (16) and the Common Wood Nymph (10). The county-wide crash this year of this last species is hard to explain. The big miss was the Great Spangled Fritillary, which we usually find in small numbers, often nectaring on Butterfly Weed. There was a substantial second brood of the Peck’s Skipper, 39 being found on August 8. Later in the season, two semi-regular immigrants from further south made their appearance—The Buckeye and the Fiery Skipper. In fact, the 18 Buckeyes found on October 3 is very probably a county record for this species. Species details follow.
| Species | Total | First date | Maximum | Last date |
| Cabbage White | 322 | 10-Apr | 36 on 9/3 | 3-Oct |
| Least Skipper | 253 | 23-May | 67 on 8/8 | 3-Oct |
| Clouded Sulphur | 161 | 2-May | 34 on 9/3 | 3-Oct |
| Peck’s Skipper | 160 | 23-May | 39 0n 8/8 | 3-Oct |
| Checkered Skipper | 77 | 23-May | 10 on 9/5 | 3-Oct |
| Eastern Tailed-blue | 53 | 10-May | 7 on 8/1 | 19-Sep |
| Orange Sulphur | 52 | 30-May | 7 on 9/19 | 19-Sep |
| Little Wood Satyr | 47 | 23-May | 31 on 6/20 | 6-Jul |
| Pearl Crescent | 45 | 2-May | 11 on 5/23 | 19-Sep |
| Buckeye | 44 | 25-Jul | 18 on 10/3 | 3-Oct |
| Wild Indigo D-wing | 39 | 27-Jun | 6 on 7/11 | 12-Sep |
| Zabulon Skipper | 31 | 27-May | 7 on 8/8 | 12-Sep |
| Red Admiral | 20 | 10-Apr | 6 on 4/10 | 27-Jun |
| European Skipper | 18 | 16-Jun | 11 on 6/16 | 20-Jun |
| Tawny-edge Skipper | 16 | 23-May | 6 on 8/1 | 8-Aug |
| Monarch | 14 | 23-May | 4 0n 9/12 | 12-Sep |
| Summer Azure | 13 | 6-Jun | 5 on 7/11 | 19-Sep |
| Fiery Skipper | 12 | 22-Aug | 5 on 10/3 | 3-Oct |
| Ringlet | 11 | 23-May | 3 on 7/25 | 8-Aug |
| Baltimore | 11 | 30-May | 4 on 5/30 | 20-Jun |
| Tiger Swallowtail | 8 | 23-May | 2 on 5/23 | 8-Aug |
| Little Glassywing | 4 | 27-Jun | 4 on 6/27 | |
| Black Swallowtail | 3 | 23-May | singles | 11-Jul |
| Silver-spotted Skipper | 3 | 23-May | singles | 19-Sep |
2 instances: Hobomok Skipper, Northern Broken-dash, Giant Swallowtail
One instance: Eastern Comma, Mourning Cloak, Spring Azure, Viceroy, American Painted Lady, Spicebush Swallowtail
Greenview Nature Area Butterflies 2023
John Swales & Marcy Breslow
We made 19 visits this year (about average), starting on April 15 and finishing on October 1. We were sometimes accompanied by Judy Labato, Karen Schulte and Bill Swerdlik so that we had better coverage than usual. Thirty-five species were found (about average) but the number of individuals found (1035) was the lowest total over the last 25 years, the main reason being a serious drop in numbers of some of the commonest species, such a Peck’s and European Skippers and, especially, Common Wood Nymph. The decline in these species was not confined to Greenview, but was noted throughout the region. Very few immigrants made it to Washtenaw County this reason. Monarchs (40 sightings) had an average season. One of the few species to be found in above average numbers was the Black Swallowtail with an annual total of 45. Details follow:
| Species | Total | Range of dates | Maximum Seen |
| Cabbage White | 325 | 4/15—10/1 | 32 on 7/25 |
| Little Wood Satyr | 119 | 6/1—7/20 | 47 on 6/1 |
| Pearl Crescent | 77 | 5/13—10/1 | 16 0n 7/25 |
| Clouded Sulphur | 74 | 5/13—10/1 | 14 on 10/1 |
| Peck’s Skipper | 60 | 6/1—10/1 | 21 0n 9/1 |
| Black Swallowtail | 45 | 5/13—10/1 | 7 on 7/20 |
| Least Skipper | 48 | 6/8—9/1 | 12 0n 8/10 |
| Monarch | 40 | 7/6—10/1 | 9 0n 7/25 |
| Ringlet | 37 | 6/1—9/1 | 18 on 6/1 |
| Checkered Skipper | 34 | 6/1—9/1 | 6 on 8/27 |
| Orange Sulphur | 26 | 6/17—10/1 | 8 on 9/14 |
| C. Wood Nymph | 25 | 6/12—9/1 | 5 on 3 occasions |
| Eastern Tailed-Blue | 23 | 7/8—10/1 | 5 0n 8/10 |
| European Skipper | 16 | 6/7—6/22 | 15 on 6/11 |
| Tiger Swallowtail | 12 | 6/8—8/17 | 4 on 8/5 |
| Wild Indigo D-wing | 12 | 6/17—10/1 | 3 on 2 occasions |
| N. Broken Dash | 12 | 7/6—7/23 | 5 on 2 occasions |
| Zabulon Skipper | 12 | 8/10—9/14 | 5 on 9/7 |
| Tawny-edged Skipper | 11 | 6/1—9/1 | 4 on 9/1 |
| Delaware Skipper | 7 | 7/6—7/13 | 4 on 7/13 |
| GSF | 5 | 7/25—9/21 | 2 on 8/5 |
| Baltimore Checkerspot | 4 | 6/17—7/13 | 2 on 6/17 |
| Little Glassywing | 4 | 7/6—8/10 | Only singles |
| Spring Azure | 3 | 6/1—6/17 | 2 on 6/1 |
| Silver-spotted Skipper | 3 | 8/27—9/1 | 2 on 8/27 |
| Summer Azure Northern Pearly Eye Common Buckeye | 2 | ||
| Mourning Cloak Hobomok Skipper Red Admiral American Painted Lady Dun Skipper Fiery Skipper Banded Hairstreak | 1 |
2022 Butterfly report can be viewed here
