May 2022 Sightings

The temperature was at about 52° from 2-3:45pm and conditions were breezy with bright sun and occasional clouds. Butterflies were not found during the first half of my walk around the bog and I was beginning to wonder if I’d find anything at all. Then in sunlit woods at the north end of the park I saw an orange butterfly gliding and flapping low along the forest floor, and was very happy for my first Green Comma of the year (Arctic Anglewing is the local subspecies).

Sunny, mid 70’s, winds around 20 mph, very dry

Intermittent sun and clouds with light rain at times, temperature at about 47°, and gusty winds. Despite less than optimal conditions the Milbert’s Tortoiseshells were seeking out sun along the power line and in a sunlit, sheltered spot near the parking area.

60 degrees, moderate wind, sunny. Rained yesterday. out for 1.5 hours. First Zebra Swallowtail of year

We checked the Sparkleberry which was in full bloom and found hardly any pollinators flying. At Captain’s Cove Cul de sac we saw 1 unidentified hairstreak & the American Lady, then just around the corner we saw only the Great Purple Hairstreak after checking at least 50 Sparkleberry.

Extreme Sunshine! High of 77 degrees with light winds. The Falcate Orangetip was a female. First monarch of 2022!

82 degrees, mostly sunny. We found skippers on coreopsis which was the most common nectar source before seeing them from the boardwalk on pickerel weed in the creek. The meadow had been partially mowed and perhaps sprayed as growth appeared suppressed and there were almost no nectar sources. We saw only a Varigated Fritillary oviposting in the meadow. All the Carolina Satyrs flew low and slow and appeared to be Intricata.

7:30 AM - 11:30 AM.

I walked the trail from 1:15-2PM, partly sunny, low 60’s

Partly sunny, some breeze and 70 degrees. The first American Lady visited certified garden #2490. It was checking out the host plant- Pearly Everlasting leaves that have returned. A surprising greeter of May 1st, 2022!

89 degrees, sunny. Very few Pollinators flying despite ideal conditions with lots of nectar sources.

Falcate Orangetip along Race Road; Black Swallowtail at Trinity Church cemetery

First Spicebush was today, while planting corn

Northern White Skipper was in a forested area, I barely got a documentation photo. Tailed Coppers are out already.

Sunny, 83 degrees, wind not a factor. One No ID Sulphur. With Rob Santry.

Very warm, low 80’s. With Cyn Dusel-Bacon, Charlie Bacon, Tom and Sue Peterson.

One Echo Azure seemed to prefer a drinking fountain over the muddy overflow at the base.

Western Brown Elfin was intent on laying eggs on the Soap Plant and allowed close photos.

Northern Cloudywing tentative ID based on location, a shaded area with vetch.

anise laying eggs on fennel

(13-52) Very slow on a hot & sunny day. Only two hours worth. Last year emperors were in flight by the third week of April, none so far this spring.

Sunny at 86 degrees

Trails around the Cemetery Parking Area.

Wonderful day at the center and the garden activity!

I walked the trail from 11:15-12:15 on this beautiful sunny day, with temps in the low 60’s, seeing a new-to-me species, a White Checkered-Skipper plus one Anglewing species.

(14-81) Warm and sunny. Mowers were busy a day or two before my visit which limited numbers. No pygmy-blues to be found…

Sunny, high 60’s, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunny, 85 degrees, no wind.

Beautiful sunny afternoon with butterflying from 1:40pm at 51° until 5pm at 54°, with a light breeze. In addition to those butterflies reported I saw two Milbert’s Tortoiseshells while walking to and from the park. Those in the park were bustling along trails through the woods and along the powerlines. I walked up a small wooded hill and found two Tortoiseshells squabbling on the trail just below the summit and a Mourning Cloak sunning itself on the ground at the top.

82 degress, mostly sunny. Some of the sparkleberry was past it’s prime. In the past we’ve had 7 species of Hairstreaks inc Gray & White M here during early May.

81 degrees, partially cloudy and quite windy.

Temperature between 60-65 degrees, cloud cover varied from 70-100%. Three days before were 100% cloud cover and rainy. I was out for 2.5 hours

Sunny, 85 degrees, breezy.

82 degrees, partially cloudy. Plenty of nectar sources but hardly any pollinators flying as drought conditions continue.

9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Weather: 78°-89°, winds 14-21, partly cloudy. Nectar: thistles, pickerelweed, coreopsis, gallberry. LCooper, SFarnsworth, SFuller, EPerry, NPrine.

Weather was clear, 64°, wind gust up to 11mph

Ronda Spink and Jason Rutgers

Sunny with a light breeze at 54° from 3:10 to 5:50pm. Woods frogs could be heard calling throughout the bog, audible last weekend too but with greater volume today. A Wilson’s snipe winnowed over the bog, adding to the spring sounds. There was little butterfly activity until I had gone three-quarters of the way around the bog, when suddenly a little light blue butterfly passed by. I followed it for a couple of minutes as the butterfly weaved in and out among the trees beside the trail before I lost track. I managed a couple of blurred shots but no real documentation despite trying at length for another sighting. Still, since no other blue species is typically expected in May here and the very earliest historically reported sightings for other blues were late in the month, I’m going to go out on a limb and call it a Northern Spring Azure. Hopefully I’ll be able to back up additional sightings with some photos in the next week or two.

Bright sun, light breeze and temperatures starting at 51° and rising to 53° while butterflying from 11:20am to 1:20pm. The first wildflowers of the season have begun to bloom and the trees are greening. I was interested in checking Eklutna Lake about forty-five minutes north of Anchorage due to a couple of reported sightings from late April and early May 2021 of Hoary Commas, a species I’ve seen near McCarthy on the far eastern end of the Chugach Mountain range. I’m not aware of any reported sightings in Anchorage, and the reports from last year near Lake Eklutna are the nearest to Anchorage I’ve yet found. Intrigued, I figured I would give it a try and decided to walk in the sun along the edge of the woods by the lake. The forest is a mix of cottonwoods, aspen, birch, black spruce, and various willows. I was surprised when in less than half an hour the first butterfly I found was a comma. Based on the distinct light gray borders on the underside of the wings and mostly unspotted upper hind wings (apart from two dark spots near the leading edge), I’ve identified it as a Hoary Comma. It wasn’t especially cooperative but I had a number of fleeting views, with a possible second one present too. I was then very happy for my first newly-eclosed butterfly of the season, a Large Marble (Back’s Marble is the local subspecies). The marble nectared on small wildflowers and flew along and into the edge of the woods. It seems a little early (although data here in Alaska is spotty) but it’s been very dry with mild temperatures. A dark butterfly flew high over the parking area as we were getting ready to leave, possibly a Mourning Cloak although it was tough to tell in the shade of the trees. I saw another white butterfly fluttering along the road as we left the park - maybe another Large Marble as it’s probably too early in the season yet for margined/mustard whites.

Gorgeous day high of 70 degrees. : )

Next to alfalfa field. Sunny, mid 60’s.

Encountered in a mixed hardwood species forest dominated by Chestnut Oak, Red Oak, and Red Maple. A minimum of six of these were encountered as I walked about the property.

We checked Ox-eye Daisy along the marsh at the entrance & found Salt Marsh, Swarthy & Dun Skippers. We saw 1 Monarch, 1 Whirlabout and 1 Oak Hairstreak on Milkweed along Wildlife Drive. Usually on this date in May every species flying can be found on the milkweed we checked today. Hardly any pollinators on fresh Pinewoods Milkweed, fresh Helitrope nor on Fogfruit. After appearing OK we discovered the reason the Oak Hairstreak was buried deep in the Milkweed. A spider had him!

Mostly Cloudy and cool at only about 70 degrees. Two hours, three butterflies seen. A few fresh Iris left, Gallberry and Buttonwood plentiful. (We saw a possible Dion Skipper as well.) We saw no butterflies on Pickerweed on Steelbridge Road nor on Shellman Bluff Road.

Clear skies and very sunny with a light breeze and temperature at about 53° from 1:10 to 4pm. When I arrived at the park I found a very cooperative Milbert’s Tortoiseshell sunning itself on the grassy path leading into the bog. It was especially vibrant considering how faded some of the Tortoiseshells are at this time of year. I returned for a second time this weekend to try and photograph the Northern Spring Azure I had views of yesterday but no chance for photos. I walked the entire loop around the bog without a sighting of the blue, then doubled back to the place I saw it yesterday along the trail through woods near a small mowed grassy area. In nearly the same exact spot, the butterfly - probably the same one - flew out of the woods and along the trail at about knee height and then bobbed back into woods on the opposite side of the trail, flying high up into the upper parts of the trees as it passed out of view. Once again I had failed to get a photo. Having seen it twice at the same spot two days in a row, I decided to wait and see if it would return. After standing around for a very long time, the male azure - or one just like it - came weaving along the edge of the trail. I hoped it would land or at least fly slowly enough that I could get a passing shot, but instead the butterfly came straight at me - flying right at the camera’s lens and then right over my head and off into the trees again, leaving me photoless. The butterfly’s timing this early in May, the wooded habitat, and its tendency to patrol while flying both low and very high, all support the Spring Azure identification despite my failure to document the sighting. It’s dorsal wing surfaces were a light cloud blue without markings or darker areas, indicating a male. Maybe there will be more of them around next weekend and a better chance for photos.

At UNM Duckpond, main campus. Sunny, mid 60’s, around 8:30 am.

Partly sunny turning to full sun! 50-75 degrees.

3 to 3:30 p.m., sunny, low 60’s

Weather was clear, 59-79°, windy

We surveyed several locations

R. Spink, D. Dunlap, J. Reinoehl, J. Grzeskowiak

(8-39). A site which has been re-invented by the county. In time, it may prove to be a nice stop.

Absolutely full of sunshine, 69-85 degrees. I observed butterflies for approximately a half hour today. Having seen 28+ today was the largest number since 9/15/21 which was 32.

Sunny 87 degrees at 15 mph. Around 10:30am

Sunny, breezy, upper 60s. Wow…after a cool stretch and a lot of rain, it appears pretty much everything couldn’t wait to get out! First-of-year Spicebush Swallowtail, Eastern-tailed Blue, Meadow Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, and Silver-spotted Skipper.

0900-1130. 3.5 miles, very sunny with little nectar sources except for Nuttall’s Thistle. Observations were made along nature trail

Weather was mostly cloudy/hazy, 73-84°, calm winds

We surveyed several locations

R. Spink, D. Dunlap, J. Grzeskowiak

Field trip for Broward County Butterfly Club 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Weather: 75°-83°, northwest winds 13-18 mph, sunny to partly cloudy all day. WBarnes, CChambers, LCooper, BDeWitt, PStrumski. Few nectar sources other than thistle & pickerelweed.

80 degrees, sunny, protected from wind in woods and very dry. Most of the Sparkleberry was bloomed out.

75 degrees, sunny and protected from wind at edges of woods. Most of the sparkleberry was past it’s prime.

70 degrees, windy with full sun. We checked the salt flats along the Julienton River at the East end of Sea Way NE.

Partly sunny, high humidity 71-90 degrees.

Sunny, clear skies, slight breeze. Temp of 82degrees when observing around 4pm.

Today was partly sunny, windy, 66 degrees. I walked the trails from 11AM-1:10PM, seeing six new butterfly species, including a Swallowtail species (most likely an Anise or a Baird’s), and a Blue species, undetermined. A Sara Orangetip landed inches from my feet, but I did not get a photo.

Weather was mostly clear-hazy, 79-84°, winds were calm-5mph

R. Spink, J. Grzeskowiak

Chilly, low 60’s, butterfly numbers rather low today. But on Indian Paintbrush flowers there were at least two dozen caterpillars of Leanira Checkerspot which bodes well for the near future.

82degrees, somewhat humid with sunshine abd some breeze

Hazy, HOT and very humid, 74-91 degrees.

82 degrees, sunny, quite windy. The only nectar source was Helitrope.

78 degrees, sunny, protected from wind on the woodland edges in Sparkleberry. We checked this site at 10 and again about 2:30 but results were the same and different from yesterday.

AR03
E.05L

The first Tiger Swallowtail of the season arrived before the Lilacs are in bloom. But, there is plenty of nectar in the plum grove.

Full sun in the AM, then partly cloudy in the afternoon 75-93. This is the most butterflies I have ever had in one day (38). : )

75 degrees and cloudy. Drought conditions persist.

75 degrees, cloudy and extreme drought per weather man. Beetle infestion in the Longleaf Pines caused this tract of timber to be cut. Now management has removed some of the small oaks creating a large meadow. Besides 3 or four tiny plants of Helitrope the only nectar source at present is limited milkweed and a few nettles. This area has great potential. One of the challenges is the presence of wild hogs which have practically destroyed several acres. Mgt has installed a corn feeder with trap which hopefully will help. I was uneasy as a sow with pigs can be quite dangerous! This area was dangerous to walk in as well with all the holes. But for some reason they have stayed in the area which still has tiny oaks and not destroyed the meadow as yet.

Weather was clear, 84°, slight wind

R. Spink, J. Rutgers

I walked along a path on one side of the Colorado River from 11:45-12:20 on this sunny, windy day, temps high 50’s to low 60’s. The Monarch was in a gully, sheltered from the wind.

Cloudy - temps in 60’s

On Bee Brush in front of Basin Store

Annual Spring survey. Overcast, 71F at start, 92F at finish. Photos Becky Neill and Dusty Rhodes. Severe drought conditions prevail currently. Blooming Antelope Horn Milkweed and Thistle were primary nectar sources.

Sunny, 68 degrees, mild winds.

Snowed yesterday (a couple inches). Still some snow along the trail but mostly melted.

High up on the mountain top open areas between Moose bush (Red Osier Dogwood maybe)? Mourning Cloaks and a far too fast small bright orange/red anglewing I could not ID

Sunny in the am then turned mostly cloudy in the afternoon, 66-87 degrees.

Most butterflies were above the forest in sunny chapparal areas.

Gorgeous sunny day with park ranger Mike Stanfield, park volunteer Andre, John and Jane Lampkin, James Peterfeso and Delia Smith. Photos by John Lampkin, James Peterfeso and Jean Evoy.

75 degrees, sunny. Only skippers were on Steelbridge Road on Pickerelweed and Thistle. About 10% of the Sparkleberry was still fresh, Only 5% of Palmetto Blooms were open at Townsend WMA. Did not find Palmetto Skippers. We usually see Red-banded Hairstreaks here.

75 degrees, sunny.

Sunny with scattered clouds, breezy and temperature at about 52° from 2:46 to 5pm. I focused on the rocky hillside with wooded trails that faces Cook Inlet just west of the parking areas as it receives ample sun throughout the day. Pollen sources were plentiful with lots of wildflowers, including dandelions, lupine, and various small yellow, white, and purple flowers including some early violets. Several small white butterflies and a little blue were seen in addition to those reported. The whites would not stop long enough for photos that would confirm their identification. The date alone, so early in the season here in Alaska, strongly suggests Large Marble and they did have dark markings on the apical and sub-apical areas of the forewings. Western White is a less likely possibility since it’s probably a couple of weeks too early still, but I’m uncomfortable ruling it out entirely without photos. As for the blue, it was almost certainly a Northern Spring Azure based again on the early date. My view was fleeting, though, and it was in an open grassy area with large rocks near woods which could be good habitat for other blue species too. As with the whites, I’ll leave it unidentified and try again within the next week (weather permitting).

Sunny with temps 66-86. The Dogface and 1 of the Monarch’s were seen at my parents home in Oakville, MO (approx 1/2 hour away, Northeast from my home in Imperial.

Slowly went straight down the gravel road for 6.6 miles. In 2 hours, 15 minutes I cleanly counted at least 24 Monarchs. I was happily surprised by this. They looked fresh. I can only imagine how many Monarchs are really in this large WMA.

Photographed both Asclepias perennis and A. tuberosa in bloom. I included a photo of a Monarch on A. perennis in the swamp.

2 extremely aerobatic Duskywings not identified to species.

1415-1630, 83-84F, Wind NE, 3-4MPH, Cloud Cover 43-66%

FOS

On Bee Brush in front of Basin Store

Sunny, 90 degrees, no wind.

Weather was partly sunny-cloudy, 79-81°, 8-11mph winds

Sighting for the 1st half of May. Activity remains slow and is running late for many species. Plenty of nectar source available. Of note, despite having host plant for Marine Blue, none seen in my yard so far this year.

Sun in am, afternoon rain changing to partly cloudy. Temps 59-86. It was AWESOME to discover 20 hatched white eggs, approx pinhead size. Should also see eggs from Eastern Tail-Blue soon!

Bright sun and 53° at the start of my session at 2pm with clouds and cooler temperatures as I finished at 3:45pm. I spent all of my time on the west side of the bog in the area where I saw a suspected Northern Spring Azure both days last weekend. My first sighting of today’s session was a light gray female azure fluttering high through the trees but l was unable to get a photo. Later I saw a bright blue male azure flutter across open marsh and land to nectar. Intent on getting photos, I trudged out into the bog after the azure, soaking my boots, socks, and jeans nearly to the knees in cold, muddy water but with success in getting identification shots of the butterfly. I got very good cooperation for photos from a Green Comma (Arctic Anglewing is the local subspecies) and from a Mourning Cloak that at one point decided to alight on my hat. The Milbert’s Tortoishell bustled past me on the trail without pausing, making it my first session of the season where I had sightings of all three of our local overwintering species.

Bright sun and a light breeze with temperatures from 49° at 12pm to 52° when I finished at 1:30pm. After my session yesterday where I came away without positive identification of several whites and a blue butterfly, I returned today hoping for better success. I brought a longer lens and set the camera at a much faster shutter speed figuring I’d need to try for photos of uncooperative butterflies in flight. Sightings were scarce for the first forty-five minutes and then as temperatures warmed I saw more activity. While distant and not well-focused, my photos confirmed successfully that the whites were Large Marbles (Back’s Marble is the local subspecies). The blue I found today was a male Greenish Blue (Kodiak Blue is our local subspecies), and its low-flying behavior over open terrain was consistent with my sighting yesterday too. It seems very early for Greenish Blues, as I typically find them in June.

65 and partly sunny.

66-73. Partly Sunny.

Sunny and 87.

Partly cloudy, light breeze, 80 degrees. Hike in the park with the kiddos…unfortunately no time to grab any photos today.

I walked these trails from 10:00AM-noon on this beautiful sunny day with temps in the low 70’s.

Trail is clear with some small patches of snow until the clearing (7550ft) where it’s still snow covered and my turn around spot for today.

Getting off to a slow start to the butterfly season in Philly this year. The weather has not been the best for butterflies with cool temps, rain, and high winds on several days of the last three weekends. Forecast looks to be cool and rainy for the rest of the month. Hopefully we will see some improvement soon.

Weather was clear, 61-75°, 8-12mph winds
Surveyed from 10:00am-4:30pm

R. Spink, D. Dunlap, G. Crisler, J. Mundy, A. Denko, C. Schaddelee

Primary purpose was to do another Monarch survey and to look for wild milkweed. Drove/walked about 12 miles on gravel roads without retracing my path. Most of the Monarchs were on the more eastern side of the WMA. The counts are pretty close.

I think this was the FOY Gulf Fritillary here and I saw only one. There will be many more of this attractive species.

1215-1600, 83-88F, Wind W 7-11MPH, Cloud Cover 19-28%

Around 5:30-6pm

9-12pm
The Arizona Powdered-Skipper is on Hartweg’s Climbing Milkweed

Beautiful day, 70 degrees. Gorgon Copper is first of year for me.

Northern White-Skipper is an occasional visitor in my backyard. Third time this year, finally got a photo.

Lots of sun! 57-79 degrees.

Checkered White was a summer brood female, which nectared on Italian thistle and yellow
yarrow. This is the first Checkered White ever
in my yard. Tiny, orangish eggs appeared on the underside of leaves on the smaller of two black mustard plants.

0830-1100, hiked about 3 miles along sugar sand trails through oak scrub and scattered small sand-bottomed lakes. mainly looking for dragonflies, hardly any nectar sources

John found a White M Hairstreak with abnormal wings in our yard early this morning! It was 75 degrees & sunny.

75 degrees, full sun about 9 am. White M Hairstreak spotted by John is a new Yard butterfly! It had deformed wings. Palmetto next door is blooming and has Oak and Great Purple Hairsteaks.

Sunny in the 70’s but windy. Saw my first Monarch of the year.

Mostly cloudy, breezy with stronger gusts, low 70s. Slow day…probably from the stubborn cloud bank and wind. First-of-year Zabulon Skipper.

Weather was sunny, 61-75°, 8-12mph winds
Surveyed from 10:00am-4:30pm

We went to several locations

R. Spink, D. Dunlap, G. Crisler, J. Mundy, A. Denko, and Chip

Cool temps this morning

Started around 3:30. Walked from the gate to trail head.
Sunny, 68 degrees

1 Checkered White came back again.

Mostly sunny with a high cirrus cloud filter at times, light breeze, low 70s. Unfortunately, my time was limited to a little over an hour midday. First-of-year Red-banded Hairstreak…appeared really fresh.

(15-164) Hot and mostly sunny. It hasn’t rained in quite some time. Eastern Pygmy-Blues still not flying. Overall, a very slow day.

I had the great honor and pleasure to be joined by Georgia’s own Nancy and John Crosby. A good time was had by all!

0900-1120, 70-84F, Wind variable 2-5MPH, Cloud Cover 2-5%

Had 3/4 inch rain last night but a wonderful day for butterflying today. around 70 degrees and sunny. Saw first Silver-spotted Skipper and Common Buckeye of the season at Lauritzen gardens.

AR03

E.05L

Beautiful butterflying after work from 6 to 7:20pm, with bright sun, a light breeze, and temperatures at 64°. This week the temperatures climbed above 60° for the first time this year, and I was delighted for my first Margined/Mustard Whites of the season. The smaller and more skittish Large Marbles were less cooperative for photos (although I got poor but useful ID shots) and tussled with the Margined Whites to chase them from wildflowers. The Marbles seemed to disappear at about 6:30pm, and other butterfly activity decreased by 7pm despite mild, sunny conditions and with sunset not until 10:51pm tonight. A male blue passed me and flew up into the alders. I suspect a Northern Spring Azure based on his cloud blue color and behavior, but will leave the sighting unidentified without a photo. Several Milbert’s Tortoiseshells chased each other, and one ran off a larger Mourning Cloak along the trail.

I walked in the park from 11:00-12:30; it was partly sunny and windy with temps in the hight 60’s.
Over the last month, I’ve seen two species of blue butterflies, but I have not been able to get a photo yet for a positive ID. Today’s blue butterfly was about the size of a Juba Skipper.
When I got home, one street away from Alder Park, two Two-tailed Swallowtails were flying together in my yard.

A beautiful spring day for butterflying, with a clear sky, breezy, and temperatures starting at 58° at 10:30am and reaching 68° by the time I finished at 4pm. My “target” for the day was a first-time sighting with photos of an Arctic Duskywing, the local subspecies of the Persius Duskywing. I found one within twenty minutes of arriving and had at least eight by the time I finished. I’m not sure why I haven’t seen them before as they were quite common. The Duskwings were frequently chased off flowers by larger butterflies including a Mourning Cloak, Large Marbles, and an especially persistent blue only slightly larger than the skipper that chased it all over the place. There were lots of fresh Canadian Tiger Swallowtails and blues. All of my counts are conservative, especially for the blues where I only counted those I identified with photos. The Western Tailed Blues were mating, which was great to be able to capture in photos. Butterflies that got away include two commas of unconfirmed species.

Sunny and 69°at 5:30pm.

Partly sunny and 87. Humid. Also found a Blinded Sphinx.

Rain in the am turning to mostly sunny. High of 87 degrees

Cloudy, breezy, mid-70s. Cut short again unfortunately…this time from a line of storms moving in. First-of-year American Coppers!

(7-24). Extremely hot and muggy, but few bugs - it hasn’t really started raining yet in south Florida.

Harris caterpillars a bonus

Mostly cloudy 85-90F

Sunny, 64° and very windy from 2:45 to 4:30pm. I was eager to get above the treeline to see if there are any early-eclosing alpine butterflies yet. The trail through twisted Mountain Hemlock from the parking area was packed deep with wet, slippery snow and there’s still lots of snow on the upper slopes of the mountains too. Strong wind and snow in places made for a challenging time and butterflies were scarce. I hiked to the top of Blueberry Knoll at an elevation of 2,618 feet. The hill was almost entirely snow-free and numerous wildflowers were beginning to bloom or already open. The fritillaries were found on the lookout hill beside the parking area and near the top of Blueberry Knoll. A white butterfly blew by on wind gusts but at too great a distance to identify. I saw two Arctic Ground Squirrels, an American Pipit, and a singing Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Sunny and 64° from 1:15 to 1:45pm. The wind was very strong so butterfly activity seemed unlikely but I checked some spots with wildflowers that were somewhat sheltered from the gusts. The Large Marble was clinging to a bush twig as the wind buffeted it around, but it fluttered off at my approach. The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail was flying through the aspen trees on the trail back to the car.

a great year for Cabbage Whites and pierids in general

Leading an Audubon Naturalist Society Natural History Field Studies butterfly trip. Very hot (95F) sunny and humid.

A worn female Monarch oviposited on milkweed in a neighborhood garden.

1450-1520, 87F, Wind SW 8-10MPH, Cloud Cover 90-94%

0730-1030, four mile trail, pretty overcast out

sunny, 83 degrees

Silvery Blue is a regular at this highway rest area, and I have located this species here every year since 2017.

Mostly sunny, light breeze, 90 degrees. Finally had an uninterrupted early afternoon and completed a 5 mile loop. First Monarchs since the lone individual seen earlier in the season, as well as FOY Black Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple, Hobomok Skipper, Peck’s Skipper, and Question Mark. The Question Mark was in “summer form.” There appears to be a new brood of Azures out right now…seems late for Spring and too early for Summer. Bright white undersides, maybe slightly larger, and stronger fliers than the Spring Azures. I suspect these may be C. serotina (Cherry Gall Azures), however none would land long enough for a photo. I’ll list them below as a generic “Azure.”

Azure sp: 9

Sunny and still at 59° from 12:20 to 1:30pm. This mountain pass at 900’ elevation is still mostly snow-covered. Only small hillocks and some distant south-facing slopes were free of snow and these haven’t begun to green yet so no pollen sources were visible. In addition to the reported Milbert’s Tortoiseshells, a small white fluttered by overhead but didn’t pause so went unidentified.

Sunny with temperatures in the low sixties from 2 to 3pm, but with strong, cold winds. The few butterflies observed were under duress, clinging to grasses and seeking shelter from wind gusts. A second blue was also seen but not closely enough to identify.

partly cloudy, 2:30 - 4:30. 10-15mph wind 90 degrees

Partial list

Part of general faunal ‘survey’ for much of the day, w/ several others incl. Ed Lam. Rare “bug” of the day was a male Comet Darner dragonfly, presumed a stray from farther south. Multiple other butterfly spp. were noted, incl. some late-instar caterpillars of Harris’s Checkerspot near the known area for that species, and in the vicinity of host plant. No adults were flying yet.

Sunny. Low 50’s.
6.5 hours.

Sunny 57-71 degrees

(11-68). Hot, but very few bugs.

Partly sunny, 65-70 degrees. We missed one of our targets, Giant Swallowtail.

tailless Sylvan Hairstreak, the second since
2020, both on flowering toyon.

0900-1130, south loop trail (3 miles), very dry and hot, few butterflies flying

4 hour hike in an area which had some rain but still few mosquitos. We did note Schaus flies low while Giant Swallowtail filies much higher.

Weather was mostly cloudy-partly cloudy, 57°-66°, 5-9mph winds

R. Spink, D. Dunlap, K. Malone, E. Post