March 2013 Sightings

seen multiple times landing on a baited log near the park entrance, pointed out by Rick Snider.

Dennis Holmes, Ray Bruun, and I, did our annual trip to the sierran foothills to photograph Sonoran Blue. There were eggs, egg casings, and six first instar larvae at the Auburn site, but no flying adults. So we went to the Chili Bar locale on the American River near Placerville and saw ten adult Sonoran Blues!

I have been after this number one on the most wanted list for almost 12 years. Finally got male and female yesterday 3/12 at Estero then wouldn’t you know it today there were two females at the National Butterfly Center. Other sightings may indicate a valley-wide emergence. February was great in the Rio Grande Valley… 103 species and already 68 in March. C’mon down.

Only the 3rd US sighting?

On March 13, 2013, I found a Mourning Cloak Butterfly in the back yard, my first of the season.

1/2 mile creekside trail to picnic area (and back)

Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak at the NBC. 3rd in a week! Maybe this species will have a good year despite the drought.

Chestnut Crescent at Estero Llano Grande. There’ve been several sightings of this species so far this year, but this one is believed to be a record for the park. It’s been a good year in the LRGV for crescents, with 7 species seen.

Dave and Marga Cutler, Buck and Linda Cooper. Good variety for this early in season. Palmetto Skipper nectaring on Osceola’s Plume Zigadenus densus is one of the few butterflies we have seen nectaring on this species. Majority of butterflies were very fresh.

A three hour survey of Plum Canyon. Temps were cool and mild at 70 degrees warming to almost 80. There were more California Patches out today than the three previous trips combined!
The Juniper Hairstreak is of the type ‘Loki’ Juniper Hairstreak.

nearby suburban neighborhood

Not many species, but it’s very early here, and two of the three were lifers for us.

FOY seen in my own woodland.

Chris Gray and I saw a Western Pine Elfin on the Clear Creek Vista Trail yesterday afternoon at the end of a plant walk with CNPS. The butterfly was patrolling the path, then landing on an interior live oak. It did this repeatedly. Then it danced above the tree with a second elfin. A gray pine was right next to this display area. It was a very fresh pine elfin.

First butterflies of the season in this region, more than a dozen Mourning Cloaks out in Ringwood State Park. Also a number of adult moths and an energetic Woolly Bear caterpillar.

This was a very quick trip to check for certain species. Early Sparkleberry blooms attracted a few hairstreaks as well as Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth. Swamp woods are very dry as is all of central Florida.