Sighting for May 7, 2022

Bright sun, light breeze and temperatures starting at 51° and rising to 53° while butterflying from 11:20am to 1:20pm. The first wildflowers of the season have begun to bloom and the trees are greening. I was interested in checking Eklutna Lake about forty-five minutes north of Anchorage due to a couple of reported sightings from late April and early May 2021 of Hoary Commas, a species I’ve seen near McCarthy on the far eastern end of the Chugach Mountain range. I’m not aware of any reported sightings in Anchorage, and the reports from last year near Lake Eklutna are the nearest to Anchorage I’ve yet found. Intrigued, I figured I would give it a try and decided to walk in the sun along the edge of the woods by the lake. The forest is a mix of cottonwoods, aspen, birch, black spruce, and various willows. I was surprised when in less than half an hour the first butterfly I found was a comma. Based on the distinct light gray borders on the underside of the wings and mostly unspotted upper hind wings (apart from two dark spots near the leading edge), I’ve identified it as a Hoary Comma. It wasn’t especially cooperative but I had a number of fleeting views, with a possible second one present too. I was then very happy for my first newly-eclosed butterfly of the season, a Large Marble (Back’s Marble is the local subspecies). The marble nectared on small wildflowers and flew along and into the edge of the woods. It seems a little early (although data here in Alaska is spotty) but it’s been very dry with mild temperatures. A dark butterfly flew high over the parking area as we were getting ready to leave, possibly a Mourning Cloak although it was tough to tell in the shade of the trees. I saw another white butterfly fluttering along the road as we left the park - maybe another Large Marble as it’s probably too early in the season yet for margined/mustard whites.