Who is Glenn Gorelick and what is he doing?
Glenn Gorelick is a community college biological science professor and a life member of the Lepidopterists' Society. He does field-oriented research that treats biosystematic and evolutionary topics for personal enjoyment. Glenn is describing the structural variation and geographic distributions of green hairstreak butterfly populations to determine if they are of the same species and subspecies, as based primarily on original descriptions done in the late 19th Century.

Where is the project?
The research is done mostly in the Sacramento Mountains of Lincoln County, New Mexico. Glenn also does this research in Southeast Wyoming, Northeast Colorado, & Northern Mexico (Sierra Madre Occidenal Range).

How is he doing this?
Most of the research is done through extensive field work, conducted by flying and driving to all study sites, photographing the areas, and collecting samples of hairstreak butterflies and suspected host plants. Adults, eggs and larvae are obtained and reared for comparisons and descriptions of undescribed subspecies.

Who is this for?
Glenn does this research primarily for himself, but wants it to be shared with others interested in hairstreak butterflies, their biology, ecology, evolution and conservation. He hopes to submit his findings in the form of a publication for all lepidopterists in the Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society during the coming year.

What is the next step?
The manuscript/publication is now complete except for the original descriptions of the two new subspecies that Glenn is naming. Most of the specimens that are to be used in the type series are not in his possession.

What are the obstacles?
Acquiring a sufficient number of specimens to be included in the type series. The New Mexico population is quite small. No more than two or three specimens have ever been seen in a given day since collecting began in the Sacramento Mountains in 1981. In most years, excessive rain and temperature variations have resulted in no sightings at all. In the 1990s, residential development has resulted in the loss of many stands of both host plants and nectar sources around the chosen type locality.

What does this all mean?
A deferral of publication date; a possible new addition to the endangered species list; and the need to locate additional sites in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico where the butterfly occurs.