THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502070094
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
Lovers of Virginia's outdoors can wear their hearts on their car bumpers these days.
License plates celebrating the state's great outdoors are available in many styles. And in the case of some license plates, Virginians can put their money where their hearts are, too.
For example, several years ago I purchased a Chesapeake Bay License plate, the one with the letters ``CB'' and the little blue crab down in the corner. Each year when I renew I pay an extra fee that is earmarked for preservation of the Chesapeake Bay (though I must admit I have not heard of anything special that has been done with my pennies).
Other plates that celebrate Virginia's many natural virtues include the two issued early on by the state - one with a bright red cardinal perched on a sprig of dogwood and the other featuring our landscape from the mountains to the sea.
There's also one that supports the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, I believe, and features a mallard in flight. And the city is awaiting a prototype from the state for a plate that will sing the praises of our local natural assets.
Now butterfly lovers have the opportunity to show their fondness for the swallowtail butterfly, the state insect. The beautiful yellow and black butterfly will be featured on a license plate as soon as the Butterfly Society of Virginia presells 150 plates, the commitment the state must have to issue a new plate.
The plate will have a white background and blue letters. The yellow and black butterfly will be complete with highlights of red and blue.
To order one, send a completed Division of Motor Vehicles license plate form and a $10 check to: Butterfly Society of Virginia Treasurer, 276 S. Parliament Drive, Virginia Beach, Va., 23462. When the society has 150 orders, it will send one check and the applications to DMV and the plate will go into production.
You don't have to worry about canceling your old plate, DMV will do that for you and send you new decals with the new plate. If your old plate comes up for renewal before the butterfly plate is produced, you must go ahead and renew as usual.
In this case, the butterfly society won't make any money. The society just wants to promote its favorite insect. Call 499-0333 or 423-1682 for information.
MICHAEL LESYSHYN'S ``HEART LEAPT'' when he looked out into his Wolfsnare back yard last week and saw a peregrine falcon sitting there.
``Suddenly I turned around and there on the ground in the middle of my back yard was a young peregrine falcon,'' Lesyshyn said, ``and clutched in its talons was a struggling gray pigeon.''
He watched the bird for close to a minute and observed its distinctive dark ``moustache.'' The falcon had a brownish back, typical of a young peregrine, rather than the slate gray back of an adult.
When the peregrine spied Lesyshyn, it flew off into the trees with its prey. Then Lesyshyn was able to see its long, tapered falconlike wings and long tail with multiple horizontal bars.
Lesyshyn checked with Virginia Beach Audubon Society member Betsy Nugent. From his description, Nugent agreed it was a pergrine also.
THE BALD EAGLES at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge appear to be on their way to another successful nesting season, reports refuge volunteer and hawk expert Reese Lukei.
``Mama's sitting on the nest,'' he said. ``She's sitting down in the nest and not going anywhere. That's a good sign she's sitting on eggs or at least one egg!''
His news was good to hear. Lukei and other refuge folks believe the pair of eagles that crash landed on Atlantic Avenue two weeks ago was the pair from the refuge. In an apparent courtship ritual, the two eagles locked their talons and fell to the ground before being able to free themselves from one another.
Fortunately they were saved from further harm by passing motorists who managed to get the birds out of the road and release their talons. The eagles were eventually able to fly off and it's nice to know they still appear to be no worse for the trauma.
When these eagles nested at the refuge last year, they were the first nesting eagles in Virginia Beach in 30 years. Their nest is on marshy land along Back Bay that was recently acquired by the refuge.
Two young birds fledged successfully last summer. Although Lukei has not seen any sign of the youngsters this year, they are expected to return to the area where they were born, he said.
P.S. MACKAY ISLAND National Wildlife Refuge rangers conducted a controlled burn of the marsh along the Knotts Island causeway Friday.
Burning off dried marsh grasses and shrubs exposes the grasses' new shoots and roots which are a snow geese favorite. Now if all goes as expected, the beautiful geese will be out in force feeding along the causeway, their heads and necks black with soot from rooting around in the burned over marsh.
17TH CENTURY HERBS and the herb gardens at local historic houses is Marilyn Sinkez' topic at the Herb Society of America's meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at Norfolk Botanical Gardens MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: The commonwealth of Virginia will begin issuing a license plate
featuring the tiger swallowtail butterfly, the state insect, when
the Butterfly Society of Virginia presells 150 plates. The society,
which proposed the plate and furnished the photograph for its
design, does not receive any money from the sales. The plates are
$10 extra.
by CNB