November 2016 Sightings

Peace River Butterfly Society Field Trip.Pictures by Jean Evoy and Steve Freedman.

A Gulf Fritillary was visiting my yard again today. There have been 1 or 2 regularly all summer and now into fall after first showing up last year occasionally.

Breezy. Some good patches of Bidens. DOT mowing crews haven’t reached this area yet.

The reports of sighting will be daily, and they will show the change in populations as the weather changes here on this part of the northern Gulf Coast.These reports will start November 1 and will continue to March 15.There are several species that over winter as adults in this area.
This day was; Temps, range was mid 80s pm to low 60s am.
This is the 37 days with out rain.
Winds were on shore after mid morning and off shore after sunset.
Off shore flow was less that 10 mph,with on shore flow no more than 15 mph.
Clear sky.

Weekly Odonate and Butterfly count. Survey with Della Wells.

11:40 AM to 01:40 PM; air temperature ranged from 64 to 75 F; winds calm.

After several frosts and today’s warmup to mid 70’s I was surprised to see this fresh Long-tailed Skipper at noon, mostly nectaring on Lantana. The Fiery, Silver Spotted and Sachems were well worn females. Strawberry Clearwings were out too.

Sunny & warm 72 degrees, light winds Monarchs came flying in this AM with 18 by noon and ending with 7 still here. 2 Monarch cats and 11 chrysalis remaining though 3 of those look failed. 2 Black Swallowtail cats on curly parsley. Rotten fruit great for multiple Red Admirals, multiple Question Marks and an Easter Comma. (images) Best day ever for Orange Sulphurs in my yard.

3 Monarchs today +4 sulphurs on New England Asters. Full sun gardens , 68 degrees.

Partly sunny, mid 70’s.

60 and sunny

Clear sky
High mid 80s
Low low 60s
Winds off shore and light AM,to on shore and less than 15.

High 70s, full sun.

1/2 hr at 11AM sunny, 76 degrees with light winds.

Between 2 & 3PM, temps dropping into the 60’s with less sun and more wind

Great walk in newly opened preserve. The green trail had a field of yellow flowers with Monarchs, tons of Sulphurs and more. Mostly sunny, temps 76 with light winds.

Sunny. 64 degrees. I’ve never seen butterflies this late in the season in Minnesota. The blues were a bit worn. The Common Checkered-Skipper flew away before I could snap a photo.

Garberia, Pittyopsis still blooming

Butterfly was occasionally feeding at Spikeweed flowers and landing in dry grass at native plant restoration area. Wings had orange tint in flight. Partly cloudy day in the 70’s F.

Mostly clear
Temps.
Highs upper 80s
Low in upper 60s
Wind remained off shore with the passage of a cold front.
The front was dry;still on rain.

Hundreds of butterflies in the last month at wildflowers along the Etowah River - an oasis in our drought for good numbers of Monarchs passing through (as recently as yesterday), as well as 15+ other species including rare Checkered White’s, consistently good numbers of Little Yellow’s, and lingering Long-tailed skippers. Some species, like Sleepy Orange’s, have wrapped up. Here are 17 species we’ve seen just this month.

We don’t know how long the wildflowers have been there - wildly seeded & not maintained. This new park and its footbridge provide access. It will be interesting to see what wildflowers, and butterfly species, fly in the Spring there. I still have a few visitors in my home butterfly garden including Long-tailed skipper (today), Cloudless sulphurs, Gulf fritillaries, and Clouded skippers.

Full sun, mid 70s. Parts of the rainbow creek trail intersect with the river trails.

Sunny temps in the low to mid 60’s with winds 10-20 MPH. Butterflies were flying but stayed low and sunned themselves. Winds died down some midday. 2 Monarchs enclosed midday.

Recent rains are greening the hills. Zero flowers at present, but this coming spring could be really good.

Sunny, 60, all sightings at New England Aster. The fresh Fiery Skippers of yesterday were AWOL

adults, caterpillars, and chrysalis.

Partly cloudy
High upper 70s
Low mid 50s
Winds were off shore early AM,and easterly by mid morning.
The mid morning wind built to 20 - 25mph,but we’re calm by sun set.
There was a heavy dew this morning.
One of the Monarhs sighted had been tagged;could not get close for a iPhone photo,and could locate again when I got my capture net;this was the 1st time to see a tagged Monarch.

temps got up to 82. Still a lot of b/fs flying along the Gulf Coast in LA

Sunny, 60, breezy

My first Sachem from Marquette County and my first one in WI since 2014.

Slightly cooler temps. and an increasing breeze made it less than ideal, and it is obvious the “butterfly season” is winding down for this area. Good stands of blazing-star, honeycombhead, and summer’s farewell are nearly empty but for the occasional butterfly and honeybee. We only stayed two hours as the breeze became fairly strong making it difficult to take photos, our main goal. E.Perry and R.Warner.

Mostly sunny with 64 degrees when seeing the one Cabbage White. 2:00pm ET

Partly Cloudy
Winds mostly;easterly
10-15mph
Temps. upper 50s AM. to upper 70s PM
Still on rain.

Seen while birding. Atalas found in parking area.

With Robert Epstein
2:15 - 3; 81 degrees

With Robert Epstein 1-2 pm
81 degrees
+ 2 Atala cats
This site is dependable for Atala and Daggerwings

Sixth record from AZ and first from Pima County.

Windy, cool, butterflies staying low and numbers down

Partly to mostly cloudy
Wind; light and variable
Temp. low 60s. - upper 70s
Another day with on rain.

Quite windy and chilly air @ 56° with clear skies. Butterflies looking poorly for the most part, with few exceptions in the end of the season.

55 degrees; sunny

Only the Sachem is a possible late record date for the NYC area (?), others have been found later, most more than a few times. There was a potential Pearl Crescent sighting, but whatever it was escaped from view too rapidly! Weather was sunny & mild in afternoon - sightings were in the afternoon hours.

Warmer, sunnier and less wind today = flying more butterflies. Still have Back Swallowtail caterpillars. Still have a dozen Monarch chrysalis.

Continuing strong, late season flight in the area. Continued area record late dates for Little Yellow and White M Hairstreaks.

Full sun, up to high 80s, from 9:00 to 11:00. More focus was on birds. Was surprised to see Anise out this late.

Not many butterflies,but did locate a patch of Mountain Laurel;something to revisit in the spring.

Light rain AM;two day (8th & 9th) ~ 1in
Cloudy AM to mostly cloudy late morning
Wind ;light and northerly with the passage of the rain.
Temps; lower 60s AM,and upper 70s
Spanish Needles perked up,and the Canola is returning.The Canola has enough presents that many of the day’s sighting were visiting it,where a couple of days before there were none.

we were out for an hour…. 12:20 to 1:30 65F and full sun. elevation 8,500 feet. amazing weather. again, i am completely surprised to see any butterflies. this is one of our study sites for boulder county open space and i believe this is the first time to see butterflies this late on this study site.

Queens and Soldiers coming in to roost for the night (6:30 pm)

Partly to Mostly Cloudy
Northerly wind
10-20 mph
Temps.upper 40s - lower 70s

Mostly sunny, 55F winds 10-20 MPH

Mostly Sunny
Easterly wind
Wind,10 - 15
Temps;lower 40s -upper 60s

Mostly cloudy, 62 degrees at my early afternoon visit. This area remains active with everything coming into this large, decaying field of goldenrod.

The breaks in clouds revealed a very warming sun and it was educational to watch how the butterfly activity reacted. Cloudless Sulphurs, absent from yesterday’s visit, were the most obvious species to watch as they reacted to the sun’s appearances. Like a natural game of musical chairs, they flew in the warming sun, only to hit the deck immediately after it withdrew.

The appearance of Little Yellow once again was another record setting surprise for our area and based on my photos, is a different individual than another found three days ago.

The latest I have ever seen one in Pennsylvania.

Sunny, high temp 62 but winds brisk at 20-30 MPH but more butterflies today. One fresh Variegated Fritillary and one rag seen. Black Swallowtails & chrysalis continue as do Monarch Chrysalis.

Sunny, low 80s, from 10:00 to 11:00. Sulphurs are fly ins from neighborhood, Southern Dogface was an unexpected stray.

Monarch landed on a hydrangea bloom.

Sunny
Southerly wind
Winds 5-10 mph
Temps. mid 40s - mid 70s

Lots of butterflies still coming in to Cowpen Daisy and plantings (lantana, Turk’s Cap, Salvia, etc.) around the bird blind. Common Checkered-skippers are more accurately classified as Common/White Checkered-skippers.

Observed Orange Sulphur flying along road - Route 273 - midday, partly sunny, with temperatures of 49—50 degrees.

Partially sunny and warm.

temps climbed to 75 around noon. Long-tailed Skippers and Ocola Skippers continue to have a good year. The Least Skippers were in the high grass around the rookery pond.

Sunny and 50 degrees.

Quick late afternoon hike

Sunny
Wind southerly
Wind 10 - 15 mph
Temps,Low 50s - mid 70s

Spent 4 hours (0900-1300) hiking a 3 mile loop along the San Gabriel River above where it widens into Lake Georgetown.

Even after a hard freeze, I am still finding caterpillars, have rescued more than 30, some of which have developed into a chrysalis. Also spotted a few adults

High winds until about 1 PM, sunny about 56 F. I was happy to have Painted Lady come in and nectar on the rotten fruit. Later it nectared on flowers & was still around 4 hrs later.

14 Black Swallowtail caterpillars in various stages.

Sunny, high 80s. Here from 11:00 to 12:15.

Sunny. From 10:00 to 10:50. No flowers here but surely in yards surrounding this site. Surprised at how many Giant Swallowtails were here.

Sunny
Wind,southerly
Wind, light
Temps,lower 50s - lower 70s

Backyard at 9627 Crestwater Circle, Magnolia.

Sunny, high in 80s. 10:00 to 12:30. A newly hatched female Large Orange Sulphur was seen being paired with, confirming breeding at this site on some kind of small tree I will try to ID later. The mating female was extremely small.

Sunny;one week since last measured rain.
Winds, southerly
Wind,light
Temps,mid.40s - mid.70s
Spanish Needles have rebounded from mowing a month earlier,and last weeks rain.

cloudy morning with drizzle, partly sunny PM, high 50’s light winds. 12 Black Swallowtail caterpillars continue

Sunny
Winds,southerly
Wind,10 - 15 mph
Temps.,low 50s - mid 70s

Zebra longwings were abundant.

Temps high 50’s, light winds, mostly sunny. Today I found 6 Cabbage White caterpillars & 1 Monarch caterpillar. Of the 12 Black Swallowtail caterpillars found several days ago 2 have died, 6 have gone into chrysalis and the rest are still on the curly parsley eating and growing.

All butterflies at the plantings (Gregg’s mistflower, lantana, etc.) around the picnic pavilion. Common Checkered-skippers more accurately classified as Common/White Checkered-skippers. I am not 100% sure on the Julia’s Skipper ID. The Soldier is potentially a new county record.

Sunny and in the 70s.

A few New England Asters are the final source of nectar locally.
59 degrees, sunny

Mostly sunny
Winds,south and southwesterly
Wind,10 - 15 mph
Temps. upper 40s -upper 70s

Upper 50s and sunny. Just over an hour, covering most of park. Very limited nectar sources, although asters still blooming in front of nature center. Varigated fritillary was about same size as the White!

Mid afternoon, 58°, breezy, full sun brought out these four species.

A white Large orange sulfur.

09:00 while moving Turkey fencing in large pasture, we kicked up these two species.

The Common Mestra is usually not common here - but this year it seems to be fairly common across a large area of Texas.

Partly to mostly cloudy
Winds,south to southwesterly
Wind,5 - 10 mph
Temps, low 50s - low 80s

42 species. We didn’t walk very far (1% of trails). We were pleasantly surprised by the flowers and butterflies. Hope to come back and spend more time.

13:30-15:45 EST. Sunny (0% cloud), 0-5 mph wind, 70-73 deg F (near record). Almost the only flowers were in the roadside gardens along Jarmans Gap Rd near Old Trail, so most of the butterflies were here. Was surprised that I did not see any Commas or Question Marks. All the Sachem were worn; others looked fresh or nearly so.

65 degrees, sunny

from 9:15 to 15:15

Overnight low 36° and up to 69° midafternoon under full sun and a light breeze. Zero nectar sources, except for two Lantanas in large pots I bring out of shelter, with scant few blooms now.

Cloudy early AM,but sunny by 10am;no rain
Winds ,northerly
Wind,15 - 20mph ;gusts from 25 - 30mph
Temps,lower 50s - lower 70s

Visited LRGV from Wed 16th thru Sat 19th.

I was pleasantly surprised to see two Atalas nectaring on Spanish Needles in a wooded area. One flew to a Brazilian pepper tree and that’s when I was able to take the picture.

Another unbelievable November weather day ~ sunny, 68 F with winds 10-15 MPH Butterflies flying but staying low. Painted Lady not seen today but American Lady now here. 5 Black Swallowtail cats still present on Curly Parsley, Cabbage White cats also continue. Monarch tagged here on Oct 20th still continues. Doing yard clean up found 2 Monarch chrysalis.

Fresh adult seen in my friends garden. He just released about a dozen over the last few weeks that were chrysalids from his garden.

September in November, 65 and sunny

Sunny
Winds, northerly
Wind,windy gusts to 35mph
Temps.upper 30s - lower 60s

Sunny
Wind, northerly
Winds,10 - 15mph
Temps,low 30s - mid 60s no freeze

Sunny & warm, good numbers of butterflies visiting purple coneflowers.

Sunny
Wind,variable
Winds,5 - 10mph
Temps,lower 30s - lower 70s not a freeze.

Monthly count. With Steve Freedman (photos), Karen Finch, Dale and Jane Wallace, and John Lampkin. Temp low 80s, full sun. Site had been mowed recently yet our species total was consistent with counts from the last few months.

It is getting colder in Silver City but the leps continue to fly in the sunny areas.

Sunny
Winds, Variable
Wind, 10 - 15mph
Temp. lower 40s - mid 70s

20 species. We were delighted to see the uncommon Orange-barred Sulphur. (Found previously by Steve Moore.) Sabal Palm Sanctuary was locked up.

One Long-tailed Skipper was missing tails.

Partly Cloudy
Wind, Southerly
Wind, 10 - 15mph
Temp. low 80s

Sunny, 73 degrees, a light wind.

Sunny
Wind, Northerly
Wind, 5 - 10
Temp. low 50s - mid 70s

Perching Saliana - Saliana esperi First U.S. record!
Photo by Steve Norris.
Found on the Friday PM butterfly walk.

It was 65 & sunny so we headed over to the river in the afternoon to see if any butterflies had survived our continued light frosts. I was surprised to find 9 species still flying. Tiny asters & goldenrod are the main nectar sources (we found the favorite nectar source, wild cosmos, dead from light frost on 11-15-16). It appears that some butterflies will fly there until we have a hard frost. Yet I haven’t had a butterfly in our yard in the same county since a Variegated fritillary visited on 11-11-16.

Note re the Sleepy Orange photo: this individual was the size & shape of a Little Yellow but marked like a winter Sleepy Orange.

~8000 ft elevation

Cloudy early ,but sunny by noon
Wind, Northerly
Wind, 15 - 25mph
Temp. upper 30s - mid 60s

Pollinators becoming scarce here, but still plenty of nectar sources.

Tailed Orange is Dorothy’s photo.

Sunny early,partly cloudy by 4pm.
Wind, Southerly
Wind,10 - 15mph
Temps. upper 30s - mid 60s

Cloudy
Winds Southerly
Wind 10 - 15
Temps upper 60s - mid 70s

Mike Ricard strikes again with his discovery of an Alana White-Skipper, Heliopetes alana at the NBC. It is another first US record. The Spot-celled Sister has been present for several days.

Alana White-Skipper. 1st US record!

a quick (45 minute) visit to see if there were any butterflies still around

There were.

sunny 51 degrees, light wind- NW end of ballfields, in sunny bare patches and nectaring on dandelions.

First Great Purple Hairstreak observed at this site

Partly Cloudy
Winds southwesterly
Wind 10 - 15
Temps lower 70s - lower 80s

Eight-spotted Longtail (Dorothy’s photo)was at Santa Ana. The other photos were from NBC. The Blue-eyed Sailor was female.

sunny, 70. Cold wind throughout the day may have discouraged others from flying. Pictured small female Large Orange Sulphur nectared at Mulefat for over 30 minutes.

Cloudy
Winds Calm
Wind less 5mph
Temps mid 50s - mid 70s