July 2016 Sightings

Hike for Polixenes Arctic.

The river swamp rd is closed to traffic for months at a time,and on this trip it was still closed.This is an area that holds some species that are not found further south in the county.I walked a short ways in did find a several of the Hackberry Emperors.Co Rd 34 has a nice variety of habitats that abutting each other;cultivated fields,cattle pasture,beaver pond,and a riverine environment produce numerous and diverse sightings .

Perfect conditions for searching at the top. Mostly sunny, 65 degrees and calm wind. All sightings of Melissa Arctic from “The Cow Pasture” (1) and the parking area just below weather station (3).

Includes time spent in the morning and later in mid-afternoon

65-76F with Noah Arthur

Sunny, 80 degrees, windy. Visited 11:45 to 15:00.

With Robert Epstein, Katie Mac Millen & Viviana Martinez
8:30 - 11:15 80-92 sun & clouds

This area is having a population explosion of European skippers, with more than I can count!

These butterflies loved the blossoming mint on a warm 84F summer morning.

Cathy and I participated in the Oregon Caves National Monument Butterfly Survey. To see and photograph a Johnson’s Hairstreak was a real thrill. It is the first Johnson’s Hairstreak we’ve seen in Oregon!

Many butterflies feeding at various native flowers in organic pollinator garden. Partly cloudy day in the 70’s F.

0830-1430
2400 FL-419, Longwood, FL 32750, USA
Latitude: 28.721077 | Longitude: -81.308548

Late day observations between 5:54 & 6:20 p.m. Sunny, about 74 degrees and light winds.

Partly sunny around 80 degrees and windy. Limited amounts of Common Milkweed. All but one of the Edward’s Hairstreaks found on or near scrub oaks at the summit. Monarchs found were cats on Common milkweed.

Observations made 9-12 a.m. High 70’s and very windy.

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. 2.5 miles. Part of South Pinellas NABA Count with Tim Adams & Marie Hughes.

w/ John & Jane Lampkin, Robert Epstein and JoAnna Clayton. 9:45-1:30 PM. Part of South Pinellas Count. Very high total of Phaon Crescents.
Photo credits: Cassius Blues (John Lampkin) Eastern Pygmy-Blues (Robert Epstein).

First time seeing the Zebra Heliconian at our butterfly bar butterfly garden. It visited numerous plants we have for about an hour. Our passion vines are bigger and better every year and the Gulf Fritillary butterflies are abundant

Walked the 1st 3.5 miles and then back

There were other Frits too.

One-hour walk, mid-afternoon

Return visit on my way back from New England. Northern Metalmark fresh.

I also saw some kind of skipper but it flew away before I could identify it.

Low 80s with sunny skies. One No ID grass skipper.

Low 80s with sunny skies. Visited between 1500-1700.

Fresh broods of several species flying today.

Hour-and-a-half walk, mid-afternoon, mostly overcast, lower 70s.

8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, tour road to cemetery.

Elevation: 8740 - 10,035

9:00 AM to 11:20 AM. 2.25 miles, covered all trails & boardwalk. Very wet from yesterday’s rains.

A quick check of the parking area on my way to White Lake.Observations made between 4:35 & 4:55 p.m.

Late afternoon observations between 5:15 & 5:45 under cloudy skies.Temperature dropped to 78 degrees by this point.

Observations made from 8:45 till 3:50. A rather extensive search produced good diversity but notably absent were Hairstreaks or Baltimore Checkerspots.Good to see that others did record a Baltimore here today.

First seen 30 June 2016. Able to obtain photos on 4 July 2016.

The monarch was very worn.

Along the Appalachian Trail at Canal Rd and the Boardwalk off McAfee Glenwood Rd.

From 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, approx. 75-85 F with 4-12 mph gusts from the East. With Della Wells.

Many butterflies feeding at mustard, bush sunflower, and caterpillar phacelia next to hiking trails. Partly cloudy day in the 70’s F.

Heavy rain in mourning. Pt. sunny and warm in afternoon. Light breeze. Only the 3rd. Monarch seen this year.

From 1 PM to 3 PM. Spent whole time on Hackberry Trail and in the Ditch.

From 11 AM to 1:45 PM by visitors center. I arrived to find John Rosford looking at TWO Erato Heliconia!

Tuesday Butterfly Walk; not much flowering, seems like things are starting to dry up.

Great Basin Fritillaries along the Siskiyou Crest are unsilvered and paler than Great Basin Fritillaries found in the nearby Cascadian Mountains.

I returned to the site of a 4th of July count (Laurentian Divide, Minnesota, 07/02/16) and promptly saw 4 species that were not observed on the day of the count!

Found herb plants with caterpillars. Two of the Black Swallowtail butterflies emerged from the chrysalis today. Saw Red Admiral in the evening on barberry shrub as temps were cooling down into the 80s.

10-12; 84-90

Boy Scout Island

24 species. Low 90s F, about 2 hours, full sun. Despite recent mowing that reduced nectar plants, many butterflies were flying, mainly on top of the big hill above the Audubon Nature Center. Participants: Jeanne Dubi, Stu Hills, Dusty Rhodes, Fred Allen, Steve Freedman (photo), and Rob Epstein (photos).

Sunny, high 81F. Three weeks plus a heat wave caused some surprising changes in butterfly selection. The Nate Harrison Grade was also very productive

Nice day for hiking, but conditions dry and butterflies seen were mostly rather scruffy.

9:30 to noon, temps starting in low 80s, low to mid 90s by noon; starting around 11:30 butterflies were seeking shade and becoming lethargic (same for butterfliers)

despite a four hairstreak day, we could not turn up any banded hairstreaks. And despite ample milkweed, no monarchs.

with Dennis Olle 64-73F

This huge butterfly came by today. It was very friendly. Came right up to me and a neighbor and it stayed a long while. Biggest one I’ve ever seen.

Rain showers were chasing me all day;by the time I reached Bee Tree Creek there was a light shower,and was done in ten min..At 11:30 I was headed to the house,and the numerous showers was down to one.

With Robert Epstein
9:45- 11:45; 89-91

First monarchs of the season in my yard.

It was very hot and humid. 93 degrees. A beautiful spot. Tall grasses and many wildflower species lined on both sides by woodlands edged with cedar and juniper.

Very hot and steamy here in south central Pennsylvania. 90 degrees. Butterfly diversity is nothing like it was last year. Numbers are low too.

Weekly Odonate and Butterfly count. Survey with Della Wells and Nancy Slowik.

08:30 AM to 01:00 AM; air temperature ranged from 78 to 83 F; dew point temperature ranged from 70 to 73 F; high wind speed 4 to 10 mph from NE.

9:30-12. Very hot & humid.

Overcast. 66-71 degrees.
Gypsy Moth numbers in thousands.
Striped Hairstreak missing much of tail.

Hike the trail to the top and looked around the wet/muddy areas around the parking lot.

The Edward’s Hairstreak were at least a month late. Nevertheless, here they are.

2 hours. this large open meadow has slowly degraded over the years but today’s results represent something of a rebound; we don’t know if there had been any actual county management to reduce the progressive influx of woody vegetation.

about half the coral hairstreak sightings were on leaves and vegetation; the other half were on the abundant orange milkweed (a lot more of that present vs my prior visits).

ca 2-3pm, highlight of one slow complete lap around the big field.

With Della Wells. From 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM; air temperature 67-69 F; wind gusts from 3 to 11 mph from the South.

Turns out one of the “Cloudless Sulphur” cats I found in the campus senna patch is actually a rare Orange-barred Sulphur stray! I usually find cats when they are too small to distinguish species (predators get them soon after that stage otherwise) so it took a week or so to realize I had a new species in my care. He’s about 5th instar now—well, I can’t ID gender yet since the black spikes obscure my view of the “family jewels,” which I can often see on cloudless and other 5th instar sulphur cats ;)

9-11. Looked for, but failed to find our target species; Tawny & Hackberry Emps and Question Mark. All three Monk Skippers feeding within yellow flower of allamanda.

Not much blooming. Most seen at blooming buttonbush.

With David Rawlinson, quest for Unsilvered Fritillary was finally rewarded with one sighting.

With David Rawlinson, we were looking for Unsilvered Fritillaries. Not seen here but we did find one across the road (in Santa Clara County).

12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

10:55 AM to 12:05 PM

Went out to see if the new brood of Juniper Hairstreaks were flying yet and to see if Coral Hairstreaks were hanging on in a known spot. Whoa! Got more than I expected. Sighting record combines total numbers from a couple of nearby areas on the same powerline.

With Phil & Jo Kelly.

Sightings in the Park from July 11-14. Gillette’s Checkerspot seen at Two Ocean Lake.
Note for reader: do you have a ny good resource for Fritillary ID. I have many pix that are driving me nuts - they are so difficult!

Overall, this visit to Gaspe Peninsula at mid-week was rather disappointing, butterfly-wise, as it was either overcast, or scorching sun with winds.

Blackish swallowtails flew far above, impossible to identify to species, let alone subspecies. Also, yellow swallowtails, assumed to be Canadian Tiger Swallowtails.

Common Ringlet was the form without the eyespot(s).

Many great moths, though. A highlight for me, further east, in Gaspe’: The spectacular St. Lawrence Tiger Moth.

Also 4 Duskywing sp.

81F High, sunny. Very dry coniferous forest with flowers mostly in washes or openings and few butterflies. From 5900’ to 7100’ elevation, there from 12:30-5:00.

Bottle Brush bushes produced most of the days sights.

Started around 4:30pm

Low 80F sunny, 6600’ to 7200’ elevation, from 10:00-3:00
I thought I would see more butterflies at the moist flowery area near the end of this site. I forgot the counts for some widespread species

Warm & sunny after a briefly cool & damp spell; a few new spp. seem to be emerging locally, but still no “summer” satyrs seen; & in general no’s. of most common species, as well as variety of b’flies, seem a bit paltry. Common Milkweed is abundantly blooming yet so far not attracting a lot, however my efforts have been less than all-out. A Canadian Tiger in faded but fairly good shape is a bit late now; Clouded Sulphurs just starting to show well; a Harris’s Checkerspot is just slightly late at this location. Most fritillaries seem low, skippers indeterminate, other than ever-numerous earlier-season Euro. Skipper hereabouts. Several hours in just casual observing today.

Part of the Walk in Water NABA Butterfly Count. Participants: Linda Cooper, Jim DuBois, Sue Farnsworth. Weather: 82-95 degrees, sunny all day. 9 am - 4 pm; 2 miles on foot.

Sightings made from July 14 -24. Most of the high elevation species seen on the hike up Mt Washmore - don’t miss it!

Mid 80sF, went from 1:30 to 5:00. Near the champion Lodgepole pine and partially on nearby trails as well as the reserve. 1 un-id duskywing

For the last three days, I cannot walk outside with out seeing one or two playing together.

Ken Wilson and I butterflied the butterfly-rich meadows on Mt. Ashland.

Mid 80F sunny. Count started from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Areas include Bluff Lake Reserve, meadow near champion Lodgepole Pine, and Siberian Creek Trail. 1 un-id Duskywing.

Observations made here after 4:30 p.m. Sunny & 82 degrees. Red-spotted Purple had no White Admiral markings. Hobomok Skipper well worn.

Part of SGL#57 is in Luzerne County and some of these individuals were observed there. Photographed two Early Hairstreaks both nectaring on Common Milkweed.Both were observed in the Wyoming County portion. About a dozen or so Atlantis Fritillaries were nectaring on Clematis virginiana.

Observations made along RT487 & the “Hayfields” area. Fairly dry conditions with less than normal nectar.

Mix of sun and clouds. 73-77 degrees. 10:30am-3:00pm.

Weekly Odonate and Butterfly count. Survey with Della Wells and Nancy Slowik.

08:30 AM to 01:00 AM; air temperature ranged from 75 to 84 F; dew point temperature ranged from 68 to 75 F; high wind speed 2 to 12 mph from SW.

2.2 miles to the Basin

2 small duskywings (either Persius or Afranius)

Hot, 88-92 degrees, windy on the refuge. Also one un-id duskywing.

We started around 8:30. It was 65 degrees, cloudy. It started slow but picked up as the day went on.

It was nice to see the butterflies back at the golf course. Starting to see more variety

Ken Wilson and I worked the High Siskiyou’s at Castle Lake and then drove across the valley to butterfly Mt. Shasta.