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% Spring Sale Spectacular T hewnperalue are»ng just aspricesare*op- FOURTH LINE AUTO G OO D YEAR For AH Your Car's Needs Drive Clean Emission Testing Government Safety Inspection TUne-Ups ·Brakes ·Exhaust ·Cooing System s GAA Approved Shop O fficial Media Sponsor Soonsor Official 559 Speere Road · "r - ominq to get you ymq Vtextobe in gear? A ta p seteson of ou Spring lue now 25% to 50% off Come to see us! By Consignment ,, IpnkRrScl^inWnr O pm n 7 D m yt A ttta * 115 - Ti ` ra fa l^ r Rd. ,, s r fU o » J38-.M74 H i FOCUS Love of butterflies · (c f1 h e b (90S) 842-3001 Editor: Wilma Blokhuis Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 250) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com \\T I ) \ l :.s| >AY. M AN _»*. k i5· I ( I Amateur collector pursues hobby with passion By Wilma Blokhuis BEAVER F O C U S E D IT O R Butterflies are Wodek Gregory's passion. Ever since he first chased butterflies as a child in his native Poland he was destined to devote his life to the study, collection and breeding of these delicate flying insects. However, it was not to be for years to come. Bom and raised in Warsaw, Gregory joined the `underground army' during the Second World War, and was taken prisoner of war in 1944. Released in 1945 when Poland was liberated, he moved to France. There he received a scholarship, in recognition of his war effort, to study chem istry at the University of Paris. "I used to catch butterflies and display them on the walls of my room." In the early 1950s, chemistry degree in hand, Gregory immi grated to Canada, settled in British Columbia and eventual ly landed a job with Cominco Mines. Living near the Canadian Rockies, in Smithers, Prince Rupert and Trail, his passion for butterflies took flight. "I was surrounded by absolutely beautiful butterflies, so again I started to collect and display them." Gregory Barrie Erskine* Oakville Beaver A photograp h ic study of two M onarch butterflies, one in the a ir and a second resting on a wildflower. described British Columbia as "the country o f the butterfly... just gorgeous." There he spotted the delicate pale yellow Parnassian, his favourite, with red and black dots on its wings, plus some gray shading. He describes it as a "most beautiful and delicate' butterfly." His love of butterflies flour ished in Oakville when Gregory was transferred, in 1963, to Cominco's Sheridan Park research facility. He remained there until his retirement in 1984. Once settled, he began breeding butterflies. To date, he has bred 12 species of butter flies, among them his much loved Parnassian, plus several `blues' - butterflies with blue wings - perhaps his second favourite. He also breeds butter flies "that were said to be extinct." After his retirement. Gregory expanded his collection to his winter retirement home in Naples. Florida, by collecting, breeding, and displaying rare sub-tropical butterflies. Any project from public gar dens to plantings of wildflowers gladdened his heart as the blos soms attracted more and more butterflies. So, one can only imagine his heart jumping for joy when the Bronte Butterfly Project was announced to con struct a 3.5-acre Butterfly Park - featuring gardens with water falls and a butterfly shaped waterway - at Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park. Recently, Gregory donated five large butterfly display boxes to the Bronte Butterfly Foundation office at 2368 Lakeshore Rd. W,, in Bronte, and spoke about his love for the delicate flying insects. "These five panels are my largest gift," he said. "I want them to be placed where people can see the butterflies and admire them. I am proud of my collection, and I want others to see it." These boxes contain any where from 60 large butterflies to 120 small ones. They contain butterflies he has caught and bred that have since died. (He also places single butterflies in clear display spheres.) He cur rently has about 2.000 dried butterflies, all labeled, at home. "I'm making display boxes all the time and giving them to people who appreciate my but terflies." Gregory explained he must be extremely careful when han dling butterflies to not remove the colour from their wings. "The colour is not in the mem brane." he explained, "but sits like dust on little spikes. If you touch the wing, you get a bit of dust on your finger. That's the colour." Over the years, Gregory has quietly donated 12 small dis play boxes to three secondary and nine elementary schools in Oakville and Burlington. He has also given one to a conser vancy in Naples. Each butterfly in his display cases is identified by both its scientific and common name, plus where it was found. Gregory is humble about his knowledge of butterflies and does not consider himself an expert, despite having `written the book' for McGill University, titled Checklist o f Butterflies o f Canada during the early 1970s. He revised it during the 1980s. `T o write that book I needed to have an enormous amount of knowledge, but I'm not a big expert," said Gregory. "I'm not professional - I'm an amateur with a keen knowledge. Professionals with PhDs in entomology would be annoyed if I claimed to be an expert. "However, I'm known around the world for my butter fly expertise." he continued. "I exchange butterflies with other breeders and collectors. All of us breed and collect certain but terflies. and for me. it's `blues.' "While I lived in France, I admired the `blues' flying near the Alps. These `blues' were just gorgeous." Gregory estimates there are thousands of varieties o f butter flies in existence worldwide, from tiny `blues' to the largest with a 10-inch wingspan that lives in New Guinea. "There are so many butter flies that some of them have not even been described, including butterflies from Brazil, the Harrison Smith* Special to the Beaver W odek G regory talks passionately about butterflies at the B ronte B utterfly F oundation office. He recently donated five display boxes o f butterflies to the foundation office, plus this M onarch m ounted inside a sphere. about the environment and pre Amazon and Mexico." serving wildlife, "man is the With passion. Gregory biggest predator to butterflies, describes the breeding of each next to birds. species of butterfly - complete with plant choices for laying "Humans are the worst, not because we kill butterflies, but eggs, and how the insect devel simply because w e're taking ops through the larva (caterpil away their habitat." lar) and pupa (chrysalis) stages In addition to fluttering their before it becomes a butterfly. Butterflies breed by laying delicate wings in the wind, but terflies help pollinate flowering eggs "on very specific food plants, said Gregory. plants" explained Gregory, who When asked, "Why butter breeds butterflies in his garden. flies?" Gregory compared his To breed them, he places an inseminated female on a plant passion to that of a "golfer get ting up to five or six in the and covers it with a net sleeve morning to hit a little white ball to protect the larva and pupa. around a field. 1 am interested Although there are many in something different." individuals who are concerned HOPEDALE BIG BOYS TOYS YOU C0UL0 WIN! GAS BBQ! BEMOTE CONTROLLED CAR1 FUR STORAGE c o m p e t it iv e ra tes & EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE e F R E E P IC K -U P & D ELIV ER Y e VAULTS O N PREMISES 10% S E N IO R D IS C O U N T · FREE 9-POINT INSPECTION & ESTIMATE e 10% D ISC O U N T BY PRE PAYING YOUR STORAGE e CLEANING · REPAIRS · RESTYLING (all w o rk d one on premises) e BLUE JAYS TICKETS! A FAMILY BUSINESS FOR 6 GENERATIONS SINCE 1815 905 845-2031 - RAW JUNE 12 - CENTRE COURT Remote Controlled Car Demonstration ng Lot C ourtesy of Oakville Hobby Celebrating our 52nd. year in O akville Located in Beautiful Downtown Oakville 209 Lakeshore Road East (905) 845-2031 3rd Line & Rebecca 905-827-0229 wwvv. ho ped a le m a 1 1.o n .ca M onday - Friday 9:30am -9pm Saturday 9:30am -6pm Sunday noon-5pm