March 2021 Sightings

2 hour hike on Old Hwy 905 with plenty of shade through the hardwoods.

On February 26 hiked 3.5 hours from Gate 4 walking in water in several spots. Target was FL Leafwing. March 1st hiked 2 hours from Gate 10, no water on the previously flooded trail. March 2 walked similar trail w/o water then at Pineland Nature Trail found blooming croton. In 3 days we hiked 10 hours total targeting FL Leafwing.

10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Weather: 62°-71°, mostly cloudy all day. No butterflies seen until 11:30. Nectar: pickerelweed, Spanish needles, vicia spp, spermacoce spp. LCooper, BDeWitt, AHartman.

61-67F, 4-6 MPH Northerly gusting to 9, Sunny, 12:04-16:23, Habitat: Swamps and roads VERY flooded right now, fields, upland pine woods. Covered a large area. Despite beautiful day, did not see many butterflies (and not for lack of effort). The butterflies were moving quite briskly and taking minerals (or on scat); none were taking nectar.

I have not recorded the 5 male Duskywings observed with Papilio II 6.5x21 bins. All had dark faces with fairly prominent FW hyaline spots (with cell-end dot). Had some light gray over-scaling. Could not see the pair of light dots on outer ventral HW.

The Zebra Swallowtail was flying in one shot and at a far distance in the other.

Along Alameda Creek, not many butterflies but nice to see what there was.

72 degrees and sunny. Our earliest sighting of Yawehus subspecies of Henry’s Elfin that uses our native Yapaon Holly for a host plant was today. Usually not seen until mid-March.

12noon-3pm, 75-75 degrees, sunny, calm

With Dusty Rhodes. Spent 2 hours hiking. Temp. 75F. Full sun, winds 15-20mph. The park had wind damage from the massive Arctic front hitting TX a few weeks ago. However, its plants did not appear to have sustained ice damage. A few trees were in early bloom.

67-71F, Partly-Mostly Cloudy, 5-7NE gust to 11, 12:20-15:30. Dirt roads, swamps, planted pines, managed pine habitats, fields.

Counted 13 jumpy Duskywings along 3+ miles of dirt road. Identified 2 as Juvenal’s.

(11-45) Lots of sunshine. Only nectar sources I saw utilized were sneezeweed and pennyroyal.

Unusual number; total is conservative

T about 58F

Mostly sunny, temp 78, calm winds.

First truly emergent butterflies of the year.

First of season pipevines. Almost all males.

64 degrees, sunny.

This is an addendum to my NABA Sighting of 9 March 2021 at Chickasawhatchee WMA, Dougherty County, Georgia. I have been traveling and required additional time to verify the identification.

I observed and photographed this Duskywing from approximately 1:01:42 - 1:03:57 PM.

Smaller-sized Duskywing Male taking minerals from soil at Chickasawhatchee WMA. Row of distinct prominent dark “fingers” along postmedian area of FW. No cell-end dot. 4th or bottom dot of wrist bracelet is offset towards apex. All 4 wrist bracelet dots are small. (Only 5 white dots overall on each FW.) Cell is dark with “some pattern” evident. Beyond the cell is a light patch.

9:30 to 3:30, mostly sunny, wind 10-15mph, 72 - 80 degrees

first sightings this year. had to drop down the mountain a few thousand feet to see any butterflies. it was 60F not much sun. still plenty of icy patches but some standing water in the barely flowing creek. big snow forecast for the mountains as well as the flat land starting tomorrow night.

Nice warm spring day. Wind not a factor. Full sun.
Several Duskywing(s) seen but not fully identified.
Gray Hairstreak #1 missing a chunk of wing(s) (photo).
Gray Hairstreak #2 high in tree (photo).
Mated Queen pair photo.

Seen in woods along the path, where I usually see early season anglewing.

Sunny, high 71. The first warn day of the year.

Cow Creek Rd area. 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Weather: 60°-82°, clear all day, winds: 10-12 mph. Nectar: willow, lyre-leaf sage, thistle, yellow jessamine. LCooper, JAppleget, EPerry, DVollmar. Notes: although NABA doesn’t recognize Intricate Satyr as a separate species we noted 3 of them and 22 Carolina Satyrs for a total of 25. Photos are labeled.

Partly to mostly cloudy, upper 60’s to low 70’s. 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Third day in a row for commas at this location, first Mourning Cloak of the year. Nice to see, since their numbers have been low for the last two years.

Saw the first butterflies of the year, Eastern Comma. It was around 70 degrees with wind gust up to 50 mph. Very surprised to see the butterflies with the high winds. All week we have been near or above 70 degrees.

with milder weather and sun

(16-109) Sunny with temps reaching 73. Always a great day afield at Torreya. Lots of prescribed burning going on, but ALL trails are cleared of hurricane debris and open.

First of the year and seen here on the edge of the garden

This WMA is on the coast near Darien. Area is managed for waterfowl. Pleasantly warm day in the 70s and a little windy at times.

Pleasantly warm day, 70s. At times a little windy.

This WMA is near the coast. Large areas of planted pines, wet areas, etc.

One female laying eggs on Cassia/Senna alata. Yard butterfly.

Late-day visit with milder temperatures and full sun

With David Rawlinson, John Hibbard, Sarab Seth, and Tom Peterson. Reasonably nice weather but a bit breezy. Just a few butterflies seen, unfortunately no San Bruno Elfins, our hoped-for species.

22 Checkerspot caterpillars seen, probably all chalcedona. Also, 2 hilltopping Blues not stopping for ID.

w/ D.Fraser. Specifically Henry’s hunting.

12:45 to 2pm, Sunny, wind 15mph, 80 degrees

9:45 - noon, wind 15mph, sunny, 73-80 degrees

first pipevine arrived at 55F and settled on victorian
box and later on flowering pear.

10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Weather: 73°-83°, winds: 8-10 mph, clear to partly cloudy. Scouting for upcoming butterfly walks. Nectar: thistle, fleabane, lobelia, sneezeweed, tickseed, Spanish needles.

1120am-145pm, 76-80 degrees, sunny, light wind

Pleasant spring day high 70s/low 80s.

Two (2) distant shots of the identical Wild Indigo Duskywing, including the ventral HW showing the rows of “well defined pale spots”. (Sequential shots 9 seconds apart on same flower.)

Hwy. 60 Unit. 11:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Weather: 78°-83°, winds: 5-7 mph, clear all day. Nectar: thistle, fleabane, Spanish needles. Most activity between water crossing and Prairie Lakes Unit gate. Male Whirlabouts were trying to mate with anything available!

Not-so-great iphone pics.

High in the mid 60s. Sunny. Azures not determined to subspecies. One azure with badly deformed wings appeared to have no difficulty flying. Four additional anglewings seen that could not be determined to species. This park is good for Henry’s Elfins, which were not seen and apparently were not yet flying.

In a residential area

1:00-4:06PM, 74-78, Overcast-Mostly Cloudy, 10-14MPH S.

The Leafwing showed very bright orange when it flew. It looked very worn and was wary.
The Pipevine flew continuously, dabbing at the leaves/ground in the woods.
Several Duskywings eluded ID.

Mostly sunny, breezy, 58 degrees.

12:15-1:45PM, 75-79F, 13-23MPH SW (Windy), Cloudy. Nothoscordum bivalve in full glory along with many other spring flowers and blooms. Woods next to swamp. Open fields with mustard.

Could not ID some dark swallowtails - maybe Black or Pipevine (?)

Williams Road Unit. 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Weather: 65°-84°, winds 9-12, clear to partly cloudy all day. Looking for Yucca Giant-Skippers - no adults but 26 eggs ob Yucca filamentosa. Nectar: thistle, blackberry, blueberry, pennyroyal, sneezeweed, fleabane. LCooper, EPerry.

Photos include Cloudless Sulphur ovipositing with two sequential pics within same second show egg emergence.

12:30-5:00PM, Partly cloudy-overcast, 11-22MPH S

Photos include Cloudless Sulphur pair and Falcate Orangetip. 2:16-3:18PM, Clear-Mostly Sunny, 71-77F, 17-29MPH SW, Weedy fields next to wooded swamps.

73 degrees, little sun. Highest 1 day count for Henry’s Elfin, Yawehus subspecies using Yapon Holly for host. Only nectar plants were thistle, Carolina Jasamine & Briars are just beginning to bloom.

Sunny, 68 degrees,light winds became gusty in the afternoon. Searched 12 PM - 4 PM.

Sunny & 74 degrees. March 18th we had 18 Henry’s Elfin 1st time ever to have more than 12! Today we had 49! Our hike out of the woods was through the cane in the woods targeting Pearly-eyes then along the marsh checking Red Cedar Trees for Juniper Hairstreaks but instead we saw 47, 48 & 49th Henry’s Elfin!

Same location as yesterday, but so different.
Cloudless and Sleepy were “common” yesterday, but not a single one flying this chilly windy day.
Seemingly the only butterflies were those startled from their hidden perches. A couple of the duskywings did not allow ID.
59-64F, 10-13MPH+ NW Cold Wind, Cloudy.

After 5 days of cloudy, rainy weather finally had some sun and saw an eastern comma basking in the sun. It was right at 50 degrees.

Fire Prairie Trail & Turner River Road. Cloudy start, didn’t see a butterfly till 10:15. Main nectar source was Bull Thistle, but they were well past their prime. With B.Dewitt & K.& P Spencer

Sunny, upper 50’s, 1:30-3:30, calm to light breeze.

Sunny, mid- 50’s, light breeze

What a difference a day makes! Temp dropped nearly 20 degrees to high of 56 with some wind chill & partly cloudy. March 18 we had 18 Henry’s Elfin, March 19th we saw 49 & today only 3. All were soaking up the suns rays either on Wax Myrtle shrubs or on the ground.

First butterflies of 2021 for me.

My first butterflies of the year!

Three Commas and nothing else today with all seen in the woods.

60 degrees and sunny.
My first butterflies of the year.
Very early for northern Michigan. Patches of snow still in the woods.

Overwintering Brood has just awakened.

57-63F, Partly Cloudy, 13-26MPH NE, 12:30-2:20PM

1:14 PM - First Butterfly for 2021.

Two butterfly walks for Friends of Kissimmee Prairie. 10:30-12:30 weather - 65°-70°, north winds 8-10 mph, sun 70%. 1:30-3:30 weather - 70°, north winds 10-15 mph, sun 10%. Ten participants in each group. Covered only Kilpatrick Hammock and areas around visitors center. 1 Monarch cat on tropical milkweed; 1 Spicebush Swallowtail cat on Red Bay; White Peacock laying eggs on Bacopa. Nectar: thistle, pickerelweed, daisy fleabane

First outing of the year.
Temps: Mid50s - Mid 60’s

Late afternoon, temperature in the low 70s
There was abundant Spanish needles and Virginia peppergrass growing along the roadside and between the rows of orange trees.

Yard butterflies. The Fulvous Hairstreaks were utilizing blooming avocado, along with the honeybees!

Well managed bog ecosystem with upland pine areas. Contains very rare plants and insects well above my pay-grade.
I would not consider this a great Spring butterfly destination, but I wanted to check it out, as I have only been here previously later in the season. The area I (mostly) walked was burned well last May. There were a couple duskywings which I could not get close enough to ID.
12:00-2:30PM. 64-71F, Partly Cloudy, 12-24MPH NE.

Clear, sunny, very light breeze; air temperature about 55 F. First butterflies of the season!

Sunny, high in the mid 60s. Azures not determined to subspecies.

Marin Elfin (Callophrys mossii marinensis)

Weather was sunny and 62 degrees. Photographed 5 different individuals, at 2 different spots. Both spots had a large patch of scattered sedum in good sunlight.

All three seen on my property as I drove out my lane, however a thirty-plus mile trip, each way to Delaware and back yielded no other sightings.

Chilly and gusty, but some butterflies were out and about in sheltered areas.

(13-44) Spring is here! First Twin-spots and Delawares of the year.

69-76F, Partly-Mostly Cloudy, 7-13MPH SE, 12:30-3:00PM
When clouds covered the sun, it would feel a little cool, and the butterflies would disappear for a while. The count on the Queen butterflies would have been higher but I spent little time in the field where I usually see them.

very dark blue, almost purple above

Spotted one White M Hairstreak on a early blooming Spicebush at Floracliff Nature Sanctuary. Not uncommon to our area, but very elusive. Not many noted over the years.

first Painted Lady migrant - they typically arrive about
24 March - today.

75 degrees, sunny. We had rain over the weekend & briar blooms were really fresh. We had Sweadner’s Juniper Hairstreaks & Yawehus subspecies of Henry’s Elfin using Yapon Holly here on GA’s Coast.

Mostly cloudy and light rain (for an hour). Used the rain cover for the camera. 74-79F, 7-12MPH SW. 1:15-2:44PM. Swamp and field habitat. I am fairly sure this was my earliest Red Admiral ever.

Williams Road Unit. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 75°-91°, winds 10-15 mph, partly cloudy all day. Continuing to search for Yucca Giant-Skippers.Still no adults but 2 emerging caterpillars and two in leaf shelters or just starting to weave leaf shelters close to the tip of yuccas. Nectar: thistle, daisy fleabane, blackberry. Early flight date for Arogos Skipper. LCooper, EPerry

first of the year for me; also seen in other parts of N.Y. City by other butterfly observers, on same day.

First of the season Sara Orangetip for me.

82 degrees, sunny. We covered a large area but had few butterflies overall. Sparkleberry is beginning to bloom, we found plum trees in bloom and briar blooms too.

Toured habitat of upland open pine woods and hardwood swamps and the transitions areas between. Area had been recently burned.

Sprouts were coming up from the charred ground, as seen in the photo of the Cloudless Sulphur ovipositing on a tender young sprout. Nearby was a swarm of Eastern Tailed-Blue, probably numbering in excess of 100 individuals.

I observed the Leafwing with binoculars, but was not able to photograph this very wary individual. An hour was spent on this fruitless stalking effort.

The several Duskywings not reported looked like Juvenal’s or Horace’s (seen with aid of binoculars).

75-84F, Partly Cloudy, 14-33MPH S (Very windy all day), 12:24-3:00PM

FOY Butterfly!

FOY for me in southwest PA
IDed as Spring Azure based on time of year. Could not get a photo to examine.
Low 70’s and overcast.

1125am-135pm, 83-89 degrees, sunny, calm. After finding only one Least Skipper in the county during all of 2020, I found 8 today.

Male and female Pipevine Swallowtails were flying throughout the park. One male that was basking on a California pipevine may have been waiting for a female who was flying nearby. 70 counted during a 2 1/2 stroll. The only other butterfly I saw was a Cabbage White.

Sunny, upper 60s, windy.

4.5 miles walked with a crew of 13 butterfliers in the pinelands looking for Florida Leafwings. None sighted this time, but we did see some other leps. With A.Grimm, L.Williams, B.Dewitt, M.Rose, L.Evans, S. Southerland, L.Cuni, M.Jackson, B.Jackson, A.Roda, K.Spencer, & P.Strump
9:00-2:00

Walked the road on the south side of the Haw River. Chilly, but sunny with temp of 50-55F

At home in the back field, that is only winter weeds of; Roadside Penny-cress, Corn Speedwell, or Hairy Bittercress I had four Cabbage Whites with one flying into the open door of my small 10X12 greenhouse.
No other butterflies were seen today.

a possible early date record in NY state; seen by 4 others in addition to me; not able to obtain a photo as this was only seen in low, fluttering flight for a few moments at the summit. Also seen were some Mourning Cloaks, but no other leps, for the day on the mountain, & the native plants are not quite in bloom yet, and seemingly none of the native rock cresses which are host plants for Falcate Orangetips; will be out in April. The single Falcate was a male, as is usual for the first to be seen around here. A warm day, following a record high temp. of about 80 (F.) the day before.

With the Florida Native Plant Society, Suncoast Chapter. Special thanks to Valerie Giles for the successful caterpillar search! 9-12; mid-upper 70’s; 2.7 mi (one trail)
Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak larvae munch on the flowers of Sleepy Morning. Two color forms were found.

1:10 PM - Feeding on large Andromeda bush.

71F One was large - about 4 inches;
another was very small - barely larger than a cabbage white.

After venturing on a four-plus mile hike through wild terrain to find my lone FOY butterfly (see other post), I stumble upon two more across the road from my house in a featureless grass yard…without any effort…

First of the year…took a little longer than expected with a couple of previous outings with zero sightings!

(20-103) Partly sunny. Had some fun. Yucca’s were all fresh.

Finally sunny and mid 60’s. Only seeing a butterfly every so often yet. Hasn’t warmed up enough

Pipevines now appearing in largish numbers, about 2 weeks
late.

Start weather: 70 degrees and clear
End Weather: 87 degrees, mostly sunny
Start Time: 9:45 a.m.
End Time: 1:30 p.m.

Pretty afternoon in the North Georgia Mountains.
Many blooms / nectar sources.
For pics, just posting a few of the Elfin shots.
Not counting/posting any of the Azures.
All Duskywings appeared to be Juvenal’s. (Observed ventral on several individuals.)
2:00-4:30pm, 62-66F, Full Sun, 4-6MPH S, N. GA Mountains, Chattahoochee National Forest

Only at site from 2:00-3:30. Hordes of dragonflies around, keeping the butterflies limited in their activities!

Clear and cool after several days of rain. Temp 55-60F.

NE of Albuquerque at about 6100 feet. Morning; Temps in 40’s. No flowers blooming in area.

With John and Jane Lampkin, Veronica Battles. 950am-1230pm, 77-86 degrees, sunny, light wind

70 degrees,overcast until we were leaving when we saw the Henry’s Elfin.

Very few butterflies, other than Whites. Tortoiseshells were all very worn. Orange Sulphur was first of season for me.

I spent about 45 minutes checking a patch of creeping Charlie near the ranger’s residence. Cool and sunny with temp of 65F.

I see other people from New York & Pennsylvania talking about their FOY sightings. My FOY Cabbage White was on 3-21, and Spring Azure on 3-27. But I didn’t get photos until today.

Sunny cloudless day, air temperatures 44-55 F; sustained winds 3-5 mph with gusts to 8-11 mph.

1st. of butterfly of the year.

Intermiddent sun & clouds, 79 degrees midday. Henry’s Elfin was Yawehus subspecies which uses Yapon. We photographed Henry’s Elfin nectaring on Yapon Holly. Carolina Jasamine, briars & Thistle were the primary nectar sources.

surprised to see this on a mild but mostly-cloudy day, and an uncommon sight in our experience for this park; the Summer Azure is by far the more common there, later in the year. Temp. around 60 F. and the azure flew directly in front of and below us, but did not settle. First of year for us.