July 2020 Sightings

Sunny mid-80s. Start trail after 3pm.
6600 - 8100ft

This is my 8th season walking this trail and I have never seen a Relict Fritillary. Don’t even know where to start looking. Tonight I got lucky and I saw 3 along the last switchback (~8000ft) enjoying last patches of sunlight. Extremely excited!

Unfortunately, no photos. Will try again in a few days.

9 am to 4:15 pm. Hot and humid sunny morning followed by partly cloudy skies through an equally hot afternoon. Met by heavy thunderstorms as leaving the park. Regenerating areas that burned in the last year are holding the rare skippers. Many nectar sources: Pickerelweed, Barbara’s buttons, Florida False Sunflower, Carphephorus sp., Redroot, Blue Mistflower, Bidens alba, Pulchea spp., Milkwort, Spermacoce, Goldenrod, and Turkey Tangle. It’s looking to be a fantastic showing of Arogos Skipper again this season. EPerry & RWarner

Started out 100% cloudy but ended up with a good day of butterflys. Saw a Banded Hairstreak and Zebra Swallowtail for the first time in the Gardens. Also saw a Common Sootywing that we don’t see very often.

Certified garden #2490, partly sunny and 88 degrees-heat index of 94, some breeze.

90 - 95 degrees, winds SSE 10 MPH, 64% humidity, mostly sunny skies, ridiculously hot

Mostly sunny, breezy, hot, upper 80s

Mostly sunny all day with high dew point. The same female Monarch flew around checking put the garden and areas of milkweed while I worked outdoors. It’s the same Monarch as it is obvious by the color and conditions of its wings are run down.

I am identifying the grass skipper in photo as Dion because when I viewed it in binoculars I got a good look below and saw two pale rays against a reddish brown hindwing color.

My first time at this park exploring trails and fields. Walked 11 miles…Lots of habitat, not many butterflies. But I got some great exercise.

Today I took a ride around some roads that I haven’t traveled since the Breeding Bird Atlas of 2000. I was delighted to find a wet ditch with many Bronze Coppers. I counted 10 within a hundred feet. I can only imagine how many there would have been if I counted the whole road. I also found another one on another road that was unexpected.

94 degrees, partially cloudy. Pipevine Swallowtail was a new butterfly at this location. We also saw one at Harris Neck NWR this Spring and it was a first there for us!

(18-638) w/R.Harrod.

This was our NABA 4th of July count
Weather was 100% sunshine, 74-89°, 0-6mph wind
Time was 9:00am-5:30pm

We went to several different locations.

R. Spink, S. Mueller, D. Dunlap, P. Dehnke, J. Reinoehl, S. Lilly, K. Malone, and A. Heeney

Big number for Dion Skipper

11:05 – 14:00 EDT, sunny (0% clouds), 73 -75 deg F, wind 5-10 mph.

Checking out my friends former property for old times sake. Lots of moths but not a lot of butterflies.

Once again no luck finding the coppers, but did find most of the others in the fields at the parking lot just after the railroad underpass coming from Newton.

We hadn’t planned on going to Ward Pound Ridge this weekend but after hearing Harry Zirlin’s report of six Dion Skippers! the day before, we had to go.
10:30 AM - 5:30 PM. Overcast with some sunny breaks, humid, high 80s.

Mostly sunny, a high of 100 degrees, little wind. The lower portion of the canyon below 5000 feet is completely dried. The creek is not flowing and some water seen sitting in shady areas. I normally wouldn’t visit here at this time but Mt Lemmon has had a major fire since the beginning of June.

Week ending report.

Sunny With high dew point, heat index to 98. Two Monarchs visited cert garden #2490 during different times of the day. One had the rich orange and black colored wings, another one had faded colors - appearing to be the same female monarch from previous days.

1110am-145pm, 89-91 degrees, sunny, calm. After more than 50 field trips this year in Sarasota County, this was the first sighting of the Carolina Satyr and another butterfly found on the Most Wanted Butterfly List for Sarasota County.

Suburban foothills. Temps in mid 80’s. Mid morning.

12:15 – 14:00, 15:15-16:50 EDT
Mostly sunny, hot (90-93 deg F), wind 0-10 mph.

8:30 - 4:30; weather - 82°-92°, light winds, sunny to partly cloudy. Nectar: Loosestrife, Pluchea, Redroot, Goldenrod, Mistflower, FL False Sunflower, Chrysopsis, Barbara’s Buttons, Carphephorus, FL Elephant’s Foot, Dalea, Eryngium. AClarke, LCooper, EPerry, NPrine, RWarner.

High numbers of uncommon species.

Beaver Hut Boat Launch.

Hurd Corners is located at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and Route 22, just north of Pawling. Rich Kelly told us about this place as a reliable spot for Meadow Fritillaries. We managed to see three; a bonus sighting was two Dion Skippers - what a year it has been for Dions in NYS.
4:00 - 5:00 PM, sunny, mid-80s.

Monarch observed after 8pm after humidity decreased. Temp of 86 degrees with clear skies.

89 degrees, sunny, breezy.

90 degrees, sunny, breezy.

89, sunny, breezy.

88 degrees, sunny, breezy. Weekly check for Dukes Skipper found historically at this roadside wetlands.

11:15 AM - 1:00 PM.

temp 91, humid and mostly sunny, light breeze, mixed meadows with little coppers found on mowed paths. In general, overall sightings of species and numbers for me down. Expected to see Sleepy Orange by now. Very dry conditions and we had 3 nights of temps in upper 20s in May.

Sunny, 90 degrees, light wind. No flowers below 6500 feet. Found a small area of flowing water just below the upper trails. No ID Blue.

The Zebra Swallowtail seemed very attracted a flowering Lambs Ear plant while the Monarch preferred a patch of milkweed nearby.

Butterflies came out in the evening, including a Monarch. Partly sunny day with temps in the 90s.

Hot, sunny, light breeze, 92 degrees. Milkweed blooming finally makes for more optimal photo opportunities…

Basic walk-through

9-12; 86-93, brutally hot and humid
But three new species site records: Snout, Tawny Emperor and White M Hairstreak
No Julias

Sunny, 80s.

Started around 3:30pm hoping to find the Relict Frits again and was successful!!

Weather was clear to partly cloudy, 88-90°, relatively still

10:30 to 2:30. Except for the numerous Common Wood-Nymphs which were bouncing around the whole time, most butterflies did not appear until after noon.

Afternoon 1-2 pm On the Everglades Wildlife Management Area Butterfly viewing area. A typical summer storm gathered as the butterflies listed here were observed in abundance before we all sought shelter from the lightening and torrential downpour of the next hour

Did the first half of the survey at Fontenelle Forest. It was hot with average temperature of 87, no wind, and little cloud cover. First time I have seen a common roadside skipper at the forest.

Statira Sulphurs are doing well in the southern half of Pinellas anywhere their host plant, coinvine, is found.

Campground is CLOSED.

Sunny clear skies with temp in low 80s but high dew point late morning. A female Monarch visited garden #2490 putting eggs on some milkweeds.

A great day for yard butterflies! I only see Julia once in a great while.

Another hot day butterflying at Lauritzen Garden doing our weekly survey. Sunny, temp around 88 and little wind.

Stunned and delighted to find a Cassius Blue nectaring in my favorite local dogbane patch. I saw a small blue fluttering over the flowers and assumed it was Cupido or Celastrina, but when it landed, I could see the bold ventral pattern and smaller size. The creature was very jittery, startled into the air frequently by the many wasps and bees and by my own movements. On the wing, it flashed clear, pale blue. I managed a couple of poor photos with my phone before it disappeared. I pulled out my DSLR and hunted the area for an hour or so but couldn’t find it again.

92 degrees, sunny after 3 days of rain.

Hot and humid (mid-80s). Spent about 90 minutes in the garden. Flabbergasted to see a large skipper fly in and start nectaring at Hosta flowers — a Brazilian Skipper with long wings, long proboscis, and distinctive wing pattern. Awesome.

8:30 am to 9 am.

My son and I surveyed from 10-12. We started at the fire lookout and walked down to the tree line and back. We also saw one unidentified swallowtail and one unidentified duskywing. The Atlantis Fritillary was the unsilvered Hesperis form. The silvered form also flies in the Black Hills National Forest, but is much more restricted to wet areas.

72F

93 degrees, sunny.

Hot, hot day! Meadow at the top of Craig Climb.

Saw on my lantana in flower bed.

6200-8400 ft
Sunny, early morning hike, down by 10:30 and before the lower meadows were in full sun

94 degrees, sunny.

Just before an afternoon thunderstorm, a female Monarch and a female Black Swallowtail visited the backyard. Humidity was high, some winds, and temp around 86.

Hwy 17 Across from Mudcat Charlie’s Restaurant sign: 93 degrees and sunny. Targeted Dukes Skipper historically found here on pickerel lily & buttonbush near the edge of the woods & near the marsh grass.

92 degrees, sunny. Southern Dogface is a very infrequent sighting in this county.

93 degrees, humid. Targeted Dukes Skipper as this is an historical location for them.

10:30 a.m., 80 degrees and sunny.
Nine of the ten Pipevine Swallowtails were males taking nutrients from damp sand on bank of Ohio River.
There were no Pipevines on July 4-th at this locations, so between today and the 4-th the second brood began.

Most sightings were in and around the butterfly garden and the rest were in a large 15/20 acre field of white clover at the Ingleside Recreation Area opposite the parking area. Probably many more sulphurs uncounted.

27th annual NABA butterfly count. 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 81°-91°, mostly sunny. Four teams. Many nectar sources. LCooper, DCutler, MCutler, SFarnsworth, AEdwards, DLaflamme, EPerry, NPrine, TPalmer, PStrauss, RWarner, CWelch.

69F

Partly Cloudy. 82 degrees.
4:00 to 5:30 PM.

Great variety of butterflies, but a strong breeze made photography challenging.

8 a.m.- 8 p.m. 78F-96F, mostly sunny, spots of rain. 25 observers, 25 locations, 14 parties. Highest species count ever on a NABA Broward Co.South Circle count. PAndescavage, MAvello, SBaig, WBarnes, RBelsito, ABennett, SChalmers, CChambers, BDeWitt, SFox, CHollar, PJones, DJurman, SKoi, MLackey, EMaige, BMetcalf, APoe, RSidelko, ASnyder, KSpencer, PSpencer, MStrumski, SWallenstein, WWallenstein. 50 Species seen in count circle including Black Sw caterpillars. Tropical Buckeye and Gray Hairstreak see just outside circle.

With Dennis Olle.

With Dennis Olle.

With Dennis Olle.

Seen by my friend at a daylily nursery there. Very beaten up.

With Dennis Olle.

With Dennis Olle.

Week ending report.

Lower humidity with breeze and temps in mid-80s

8700-9990ft
(early morning hike; done by 10:15)

(16-446) Quick pre-scouting for NABA count in two weeks. Only checked the south end of the park.

Conservative estimate for the White Admirals

12:30PM to 5:00PM.
Partly Cloudy. 75 degrees.

9:15 - 11, ending with thunderstorm
86-90
Still no Julias.
Great year for Statiras.
Phaon Cresents were all in the wet meadow.

92 degrees, partially cloudy.

Walked the first mile or so thru the forest and meadow.

Walked around the alpine flowers north of the Highline Trail Park Lot.

Corner of Webb Rd. and C.R. 13.

The coppers were pretty worn.

Seen at the Chicago Bog section.

This location is almost a hundred acres of pasture with no ground being turned for over a decade and very little has been seen this year.

Numbers slowly picking up here with so many nectar sources going untouched. Slowest season ever for this location!

first Red Admiral for the year!

Sunny slight breeze 82 degrees. Garden #2490. First Pearl Crescent. Also a Monarch and Black Swallowtail were flying around the garden at same time.
The tiger swallowtail visited an hour earlier.

Thick grassy roadside section I’ve been wanting to check out for awhile

(19-126) A fairly quick 2-hr trip. Mostly cloudy conditions.

Start weather: Cloudy, 72°, 7mph wind
End weather: Cloudy, 84°, calm wind
Start time: 9:00am
End time: 6:05pm

The count went to several locations
R.Spink, D.Dunlap, S.Mueller, P.Dehnke, B.Lucas

940am-12noon,88-92 degrees,sunny,calm

9:30 - 11:30; 85-90
120% humidity

Temps in mid-80s. A Monarch at a church in the evening with partly sunny skies. During the.morning, a Monarch visited cert garden #2490. At the same time, a male Black Swallowtail visited as well.

It seems here far less Nectar sources as almost no Purple Loosestrife and many more Phragmities and Cattails.

The Monarch came by twice, a fresh female.

I think some of my observations may be from Luzerne County, as the state park and the adjacent game lands cover a very large area.
9 am-4pm. Mostly sunny, in the 80s.

This Eastern Swallowtail was enjoying a nectar break on this warm afternoon in the high 80’s. These 40 acres of woods snd meadow abut a lake. Wildflowers, particularly milkweed native to this area, are in full bloom this time of year. A wide variety of butterflies abound.

Low 90s sunny